Want to Write Good Nonfiction? Use These Fiction Tools

No one questions the idea that fiction writers may need to use tools of nonfiction—research, interviewing, reporting—for their craft. But I know many nonfiction writers who either don’t realize they can benefit from tools used in fiction, or don’t believe those tools have any place in their writing.

Good writing has more in common than genre distinctions might make you think. Sure, the content you choose to include can differ widely, but almost all the craft tools come from the same toolbox. Let’s look at three traditionally “fiction” tools that nonfiction writers can—and should—use to enhance their work: dialogue, scene and sensory detail, and character.

Dialogue

Writers of narrative nonfiction may already be familiar with this tool, especially if they conduct interviews. Why does dialogue work well in nonfiction?

First, dialogue breaks up the text. Long, blocky paragraphs of exposition are tough to read.

Second, think about books with long passages involving no dialogue whatsoever, only lots of facts and background information. What do we call these? Textbooks. Reference books. Encyclopedias. How often do readers start at the beginning and read all the way through, for pleasure?

“But is it really okay to make up dialogue?” my clients sometimes ask.

Nonfiction writers, especially of memoir, can feel leery if they don’t have a recording with the exact words used. True, the closer your work hews to reportage, the more important exact verbiage usually is. But you can still capture the emotional and essential truth of the conversation without a transcription, and memoir and creative nonfiction writers absolutely should.

Dialogue does other work for you: illustrates key points about your characters, provides information, and conveys emotional content such as humor or pathos, alarm or amazement. You can even use dialogue to add tension and suspense—great for getting your readers to turn pages.

Scene and Sensory Detail

Let’s return to the question of long passages of text. Did any of you sit in a class with a teacher who spoke information at you? How much of that do you remember? How much of it was interesting or fun?

Now think about a live theater performance you’ve gone to, or a comedy show, or a live storytelling event. I’m betting you can remember more of what was said and you enjoyed more of it. That’s because human beings use story as a building block of memory and how we organize and interpret the world around us.*

In college, I took a course in the Physics Department designed for non-physicists who needed to satisfy a science requirement for graduation. My professor was a small, thin man with a bald pate and a prominent nose. One day, when we arrived at class, he had a purple bowling ball suspended from the center of the ceiling high above the stage. He walked backwards until his back was against the wall, holding the ball to his nose, and released it. The ball swung across the room and returned—coming just short of smashing his nose. In this way, he introduced us to Newton’s laws of motion.

Do you want your readers to remember information? Help them out. Use a scene to illustrate what you’re sharing. Use sensory details to make that scene come alive. You don’t have to limit yourself to visual details, as I did. In fact, you’ll probably be more impactful if you choose one of the lesser-described senses, such as smell (which is associated with memory) and touch.

Make life easier and more fun for your readers by using stories—stories that are composed of actual scenes and sensory detail.

Character

The fact that the people in your nonfiction book are real live humans changes nothing about the fact that they are characters in your book, too. In some kinds of nonfiction, you are also a character in your book. Don’t neglect this. Introduce us to these people. Again, you’ll make your story and your book more memorable and interesting, and your readers more likely to read it all the way through.

The previous two tools, scenes and dialogue, can do a lot of heavy lifting in terms of character. I bet you have some ideas about me and my physics professor, and you may identify or sympathize with my clients who are nervous about using “fiction” tools.

I can tell you that I met my interview subject at a coffee shop, and that he appeared nervous. Or, I can say, “The coffee shop was smaller than I expected. The tables were close together, and Bob kept looking at the other customers while I set my recorder on the table.”

There—you already have an idea of Bob, the setting, and our interpersonal dynamics, which informs how you interpret the information I share with you coming out of that interview. You’ll judge how forthcoming Bob is likely to be in this scenario. You don’t need much to convey character. One detail is often all that’s necessary.

The bottom line

Don’t ignore the tools that fiction writers use because you are dealing with facts. A good story is a good story, and just like those fiction writers, you probably want your readers to read the whole thing. Dialogue, scenes and sensory detail, and characters will bring your story to life, no matter what you write.

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Resources:

*Zak, Paul J. “Why Your Brain Loves Good Storytelling.” Harvard Business Review. October 28, 2014.

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Use all the tools in your writing tool chest. CC image “tool chest” courtesy of el cajon yacht club on Flickr. Some rights reserved.