Today we have a wonderful guest post from Dr Trish Nicholson on the subject of creativity and nonfiction.
‘Connectedness is the engine of creativity.’ This
quote from my new e-book, Writing Your Nonfiction Book: The Complete Guide
to Becoming an Author refers to my suggestion to read all the sections
on writing tips for various sub-genres, whatever subject is being pursued, because
inspiration is triggered in surprising ways from unexpected sources.
But the power of connectedness works on many
different levels. I apply it in this post to resolve the conflicting advice we
receive as writers, and which is sometimes so overwhelming it is
counter-productive. We are urged to:
‘Write what readers want.’
‘No, write what you know.’
‘No, no, write from the heart.’
Fiction and non-fiction authors alike face this
dilemma, but it is a bigger issue for non-fiction because the market is more
specific as to sub-genre and subject. So, who is right? Which should we choose?
Answer: We don’t. We connect all three. Writing
Your Nonfiction Book is based on achieving this and I’ll show you how.
Write
what readers want: It is true that selling a book on a
subject already extensively covered, or on a topic few people want to know
about, is extremely difficult. To be successful, a book must have readers, but
this doesn’t mean you have to change who you are or what interests you to
please ‘everyone’ else. It means you have to identify your audience. Readers
are in their millions, from rural students in Africa studying through their
mobiles, to executive commuters tapping on their tablets to the rhythm of the
train.
Whatever your interest, thousands of people share
it. Researching what is already available in your subject, and working out
where there are gaps and how you might fill them to target those readers, is
how you find your niche, your spot in the market-place.
Write
what you know: We each bear a body of knowledge and unique
experience, often far greater in extent than we realise. But this knowledge is
not an inert block of wood: it is a living tree with branches, twigs and leaves
that can be stimulated and extended into new areas and original avenues. With
research, we build on what we know in order to learn more, to apply it to new
situations, and to find that special angle on our subject that makes our
contribution unique. This is what we offer our readers.
Writing Your Nonfiction Book
includes a whole chapter on types of information, how to gather it, verify it,
and apply it to your own topic. ‘Write what you know’ is not a limitation; it
is a licence to grow, and run free.
Write
from the heart: As writers, our aim is to engage with
readers; to influence them in some way, but this can only be achieved if we are
genuine. Readers soon ‘see through’ writing that is insincere, however well-constructed
or packed with data. Findings from the psychology of reading confirm that
non-fiction, as well as fiction, can affect our attitudes and behaviour. The
effect is strongest with writing that uses story techniques such as deeply
drawn characters, and plotting to create tension.
By definition, we can’t make things up in
non-fiction, but we can use creative language and storytelling to show the
facts and lead the reader to a fuller understanding of them. The more we care
about our topic – the nearer it is to our heart – and the more thoroughly we
research it, the easier it is to engage a reader’s senses and feelings in what
we write. Creative writing for narrative non-fiction is the longest chapter in my
new book.
The
connected solution: Expand your knowledge and write from
the heart to enlist the emotions of targeted readers. Writing Your Nonfiction Book
will enable you to achieve that, and if you want to delve even deeper into
creative writing, its sibling, Inside Stories for Writers and Readers will
take you there.
Dr Trish Nicholson’s writing career spans 30 years
as columnist, feature writer, and author. Her work has been published by W. H.
Allen, Routledge, Earthscan, Management Books 2000, and by digital publisher,
Collca. Recent titles include e-books on travel, popular science and creative
writing. Trish lives in New Zealand and is closely linked to writers and
writing all over the world.
You can follow her on Twitter as @trishanicholson
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