Lately I’ve been toying with an idea in a genre I’d never wanted to write. One I came close to swearing I’d never bother with. But now I’m digging into the research, writing down ideas, and trying to develop an outline for this project.
In non fiction.
Weird, huh?
While the standards of good sentences and structure still apply at a high level, non fiction is such a different ballgame. I don’t know if I’m ready for this—or if I can go through with it.
What do you think? Would you ever write non fiction? What would be the biggest challenge for you in non-fiction?
Yes, I’ve considered it before, but the projects I want to do require so much research I’m scared to death. One of my projects I want to do is historical fiction about one of my pioneer ancestors. I know that’s nonfiction, but it would have some of those elements. Other projects are definitely on my list. 🙂
You know, I’d totally forgotten about the books I’ve always intended to do (but haven’t yet been passionate enough about) about my ancestors! One was a pioneer, the other was a police officer killed in the line of duty by a druggie—in 1926.
Creative nonfiction… borderline, right? 😉
I’m a fiction writer to the core–the thought of nonfiction just scares me!
I’ve only ever done short non-fiction pieces, but I’ve had some really interesting and fun experiences with it. Honestly, I think doing a bit of NF every once in a while helps in the fiction department too. It helps you notice real life details and be even more honest with yourself. Good luck with the project!
Sarah Allen
(my creative writing blog)
For me, part of the joys of researching for fiction is the effort put into hiding all the information I’ve found so the story doesn’t turn into an info dump or insane techno-babble. If I get something a little wrong or miss a few detail, it’s fiction and it was artistic license to keep the plot moving, right? But in non-fiction I’d get so bogged down in trying to get everything right that I’m afraid I’d get lost in the details and never finish if I ever actually started.
Wish you and everyone else the best on their projects.
You are an excellent nonfiction writer already. Your blog is informative and entertaining. I think you’ll do very well in that genre.
I’m with Gussie. This blog is proof that you can do it.
I actually did the opposite of what you are considering. I was a non-fiction writer first (co-author of three books and writer of many articles). Then I decided to take the plunge into fiction. For me, fiction is far more difficult, but I have to say that the organization skills I developed as a non-fiction writer have been extremely helpful with the transition.
If tackling an entire book seems too intimidating, don’t start that way. Create a blog on the subject matter of your book and start writing articles. Write one 500-word, tightly-focused article a week, and by the end of the year, you’ll have 26,000 words. That’s a good start for a non-fiction book. After a year, sit down and do an outline. Identify the gaps in the material you have so far, and write more articles to fill those gaps. Then you can re-purpose, revise, and expand on your articles to create your book. In the meantime, you’ll have created a “platform” and connected with potential readers (i.e. buyers) for that book. This is a formula my wife has used successfully to create 10 non-fiction books. Her book Publishize explains how to do it in detail.
I say “go for it.”
If this idea has you researching and writing things down already, I say go for it. I’ve had some non-fiction ideas, but the thing stopping me has been the time it would take to properly research and write them. Fiction can just be so much faster. In addition, I have no “qualifications” – no Masters or PhD in anything to speak of. So I feel like I’d be trying to swim upstream on this one. And it’s not like I have a shortage of fiction ideas… 😉
Totally been there. I had an idea for a historical novel for years but was too scared to do it because of the research involved. Scared me silly.
And then I did 4 historicals in a row and LOVED it.
I’ve veered in different directions several times. I’ve seen the same thing happen to lots of writers. Some find success in a genre they never expected.
I think I write better non-fiction than fiction, maybe because I’m being myself and not trying to be my characters. I haven’t attempted a non-fiction book, though. (I wrote a personal memoir but it’s just for family, so it doesn’t count.)
I agree with those who’ve said you’ll do well with non-fiction if your blog posts are any indication. 🙂