Nonfiction gets a bad rap in the entertainment stakes. It conjures images of dense, unimaginative textbooks or articles that sound like they’ve been written by a brick. But the best nonfiction is informative and just as entertaining and compelling as a great novel. It grabs you, draws you in, and won’t let you go.
So how do you make your nonfiction as compelling as fiction? Let’s take a look.
- Tell a story with the facts
- Bring scenes to life
- Keep your reader on their toes
- Write like you talk (with a cherry on top)
- Get emotional
1. Tell a story with the facts
Facts are essential. People want to learn and be inspired. But stories make us care, pay attention and remember. So wrap your facts up in storytelling and make them worth reading.
Example
You’re writing a book on 16th century France.
Instead of writing the plain facts: “In 1518, the people of Strasbourg experienced an event known as the Dancing Plague, possibly caused by poisoning from mouldy rye.” …
Try painting a picture: “In 1518, the streets of Strasbourg filled with people dancing uncontrollably. They danced for days, some reports say until the point of exhaustion or even death. This ‘Dancing Plague’ is said to have been due to mass hysteria or poisoning from mouldy rye, and is said to have inspired Hans Christian Andersen’s equally macabre fairytale, The Red Shoes.”
2. Bring scenes to life
There is no rule to say that fiction is the only written form in which you’re allowed to transport readers to different times and places by their senses. No rule, no way, no how! Use it all. Paint a picture with your words. Take your reader on a sensory meander through the scenes in your book. Whether you’re writing about helping to calm an overwhelmed child or explaining the difference between fungus and bacteria, round out the scene with detail and description and your readers will thank you.
Example
You’re writing a paragraph on typhoon season in Japan.
Instead of “Typhoon season in Japan is from May to September, and is a period of heavy rain, strong winds and flooding.” …
Try something like, “Typhoon season sees Japan in the midst of some of the most dramatic weather conditions in the world. First, the clawing humidity turns the air hot and sludgy, making each breath a conscious effort. The skies darken, sucking the light and colour out of the trees. Then comes the rain, hammering down so hard it feels like every drop is nailed deeper into the rooftops.”
3. Keep your reader on their toes
Creating suspense and developing curiosity is another facet of nonfiction writing that fiction lovers claim as their own. Well, to that I say, share and share alike. Play nicely, fiction, and everyone will have a good time.
Tips
- Lead with a question to pique the reader’s interest and curiosity.
- Don’t give them everything all at once – drip feed the answer, teasing out the details a little to compel them to read on.
- End paragraphs, sections or chapters with cliffhangers to keep the pages turning.
4. Write like you talk (with a cherry on top)
We Booksmiths are big fans of finding and using your own author voice. That’s when your authentic self comes through on the page. And if you sound like you do when you talk but with a little more thought and finesse, your readers will connect with you and your story, whether you’re writing about your life experience or sharing your expertise on papier mâché vessels from 17th century China.
Tips
- Keep it simple – writing clearly makes your ideas and opinions easier to digest.
- Keep it short – stick with shorter sentences and differing lengths of paragraphs to keep up the momentum and pace.
- Avoid highfalutin language – keep the tone informal and chatty. Nobody enjoys reading pages and pages of dry academic text. One does not wish to subject one’s readership to one’s overly formal, impersonal and stuffy prose.
- Show your personality through your words – whether you’re a naturally witty wordsmith or a devourer of detail, let your readership see you.
5. Get emotional
Emotions are another way to connect with your reader and have just as much right to be in nonfiction writing than in fiction. It’s not just a right, it’s a need. A want.
If something is exciting, let it out. If there’s talk of tragedy, let it weep. Help your reader feel the truth of it all.
Example
You’re writing a piece on the Great Depression.
Instead of the bare facts: “The Great Depression was a catastrophic global economic downturn that lasted a decade.” …
Try something more emotive: “Overnight, fortunes vanished. Millionaires were left penniless. The Great Depression had pulled the rug out from under the world’s richest somebodies and nobody could’ve prepared themselves for what was to come.”
Let the nonfiction light shine
Facts don’t have to be plainly explained and dimly lit. Whether you’re writing a how-to or a memoir, turn up the volume and set it centre stage. Make the reader feel something with your facts. Give them shape, depth, texture.
Write nonfiction like it’s just as compelling as fiction because, if you give it your all, it will be.
Some of our favourite examples of compelling nonfiction can be found in our online bookshop.
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