The myth of expertise in nonfiction writing
There’s a common misconception among new writers of nonfiction that you need to be an expert in your field to have something valuable to say. Hogwash! Yes, you need to know enough to reassure the reader. That’s obvious. But before you suffer from imposter paralysis, put yourself in your readers’ boots. What do they want from you? Pure fact, page after page?
No.
Readers want connection. Stories. Passion for a subject. Exploration. All of this far outweighs any lack of expertise.
The expert’s curse
There’s a thing called ‘the curse of knowledge’ or ‘expert’s curse’. Have you heard of it? It’s when someone is so well versed in their field of knowledge, so familiar with the jargon and concepts, that they struggle to share that knowledge clearly with people who don’t have the same understanding or experience.
In some ways, the expert’s curse tells us that experts, in fact, are not the ones who are always best placed to write about their area of expertise because they might not be able to adapt their explanations for a lay or less well informed readership.
So, where an expert risks complacency given their subject-level strengths, potentially overestimating the reader’s ability to keep up, and neglecting to pay attention to how engaging their writing is to a lay person, a less knowledgeable writer takes no such risks.
The insightful observer
This is where your role as an insightful observer comes to the fore. You might not know every teeny nugget of knowledge on a subject, but you do know how to be inquisitive, passionate, and honest.
A reader doesn’t want to be talked at in a book. They don’t want to wade through the equivalent of a long, boring monologue filled with ‘I know this and I know that’ brags. They want to be immersed in a world of discovery, where honest observations and curious questions lead to fact gathering and interesting insights.
Be the insightful observer for your reader. Show your passion for your subject through the questions you ask and the delight you share in what you find out. Tell stories about real-life examples and bring the facts into vivid, colourful focus.
With this kind of interest, joy of discovery and human connection, you will draw the reader into a world they want to explore with you, then visit again and again.
Don’t be the expert overlord casting decrees and orations; be the inquisitive underling exploring the undiscovered, guiding your readers with stories, connection and delight.
Remember, you don’t have to be an expert to be a great nonfiction writer:
- Choose passion over lack of knowledge
- Choose discovery over dissection
- Choose storytelling over speech giving
- Choose connection over information overload
“If the world should blow itself up, the last audible voice would be that of an expert saying it can’t be done.” Peter Ustinov
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