Why Nonfiction?

For the fledgling writer, literary nonfiction may seem like some foreign realm that must be avoided at all cost. Just the idea of writing about real-life events may seem boring, unimaginative, or pointless. However, there is much more to nonfiction than just telling stories about real life. There is a depth to literary nonfiction writing that can be overlooked in favor of fantasy worlds and starship warp drives. This post will serve as a brief introduction to literary nonfiction and why novice writers should give the genre a shot.

First, I would like to establish what nonfiction is and some of the different types of nonfiction styles. As the name suggests, nonfiction is ‘not’ fiction writing. Explicit in the name is that this writing is ‘true’, meaning not created out of the ether by the writer. Common forms of nonfiction are memoir, journalistic writing, and personal essay. Inherent in these forms of writing is an adherence to the truth, while also creating an interesting and engaging narrative. These forms can be further broken down into sub-forms, such as travel writing, self-help, etc. Again, the main unifying idea for nonfiction is that it operates in the realm of truth. Journalistic writing, for example, places a high premium on the objective truth. The voice of the writer tends to fade into the background and the story is placed front and center. Facts are of the utmost importance in journalistic writing. On the other hand, memoir and personal essay are much more focused on the writer. In these forms, the writer is able to talk about their own experiences and explore the truth as they know it. The voice of the writer comes through much more in these forms of writing, making for much more engaging and interesting reads. For those who have not dipped their toes into literary nonfiction, memoir and personal essay are great places to start.

Second, let’s talk about what makes literary nonfiction so compelling and interesting. Simply put, most of the conventions that make for good fiction writing make for good nonfiction writing. Tone, voice, setting, these are just as important in nonfiction. Again, the main difference is that nonfiction operates in the truth. Writers aren’t making up characters to fill out the story, they are filling out the stories with people who were there. At the same time, the writer should make these people into compelling characters. That isn’t to say make up details about the people in the stories, but to take a critical look at these real people and bring them to life on the page. Oftentimes, when I am writing a memoir piece I will think of myself as a character; I look for ways to capture the right speech patterns at specific points in life my life. In the process of writing nonfiction, life becomes a story and the writer must make that story interesting. Admittedly, it can be hard to figure out how to take a story from our own lives and turn it into an engaging story. Yet, that challenge can be so rewarding when done well.

In summation, I would like to impress again that novice writers can gain immeasurably from taking a crack at literary nonfiction. The genre is much more than academic essays and news stories. There are plenty of great stories that take real life and turn it into a compelling narrative. I would like to leave you with some reading recommendations: Hunger by Roxanne Gay, Black Boy by Richard Wright, The Warrior Woman by Maxine Hong Kingston, and The Liar’s Club by Mary Karr. Happy reading!