Does this seem like an oxymoron? Well, think about it\u2014there are many instances when you must rely on your fiction-writing skills in nonfiction. What about the memoir? I\u2019m working with a client now whose book manuscript features depictions of actual people as examples throughout. She is a give-me-the-facts type of more academic writer and I\u2019m helping her to bring her real \u201ccharacters\u201d to life. <\/p>\n
We use anecdotes even in our how-to, self-help and informational books. And it\u2019s often necessary, or at least recommended, that these anecdotes be fleshed out much the same as one would do for characters in a novel. And what about story books? The Chicken Soup stories are nonfiction. The stories in my new book, Catscapades, True Cat Tales <\/em><\/strong>are true. Yet, no one will be interested in reading stories that are written in stiff, academic style. <\/p>\n Readers respond to writing that evokes emotion, whether it tugs at their heart strings, scares the wits out of them or makes them mad as hell. A good fiction writer can put the reader in the story with the characters and make him\/her care. Nonfiction writers who include true-to-life anecdotes or who are trying to tell a true story, need to borrow some of these techniques.<\/p>\n It takes practice, if you\u2019re a staunch nonfiction writer, to get to the point where you can flesh out your profile pieces, to make your anecdotes sing, to create stories that touch one at a deep level. But, if you are writing a memoir, a biography, a how-to book featuring several case studies or a book of stories, this is a process you really must learn.<\/p>\n Instead of just listing the occurrences the way things happened, practice using imagery to make the story come alive. Rather than simply telling the story, use words and anecdotes that put more emotion into your story. Instead of using mundane terms that might work for a piece of nonfiction, use more descriptive words\u2014create word pictures. <\/p>\n If your brain doesn\u2019t automatically work that way, it can take practice. So practice. Here are some suggestions to get you started:<\/p>\n \u2022\tGet poetic. Force yourself, if you have to, into using a poetic tone to describe something ordinary\u2014an object or an activity, for example. You probably won\u2019t write using the words and phrases you come up with in this exercise, but it will get you off dead center and loosen up your, perhaps, stiff, stifled way of communicating.<\/p>\n \u2022\tVisualize the scene you are working on. Try to see it in great detail. Write what you see. <\/p>\n \u2022\tPractice giving your characters personality. Rather than having Bob grow up, graduate and get a job, have him grow up playing in the cornfields of Iowa, graduating despite heavy burdens at home and landing his first job as a car hop on roller skates. <\/p>\n \u2022\tDon\u2019t be afraid to make readers cry, experience fear or laugh. That\u2019s what we read for\u2014to feel. <\/p>\n \u2022\tRead, read and read some more. Study the techniques used by some of the great fiction writers.<\/p>\n The leap from nonfiction writing to fiction can be mighty for some staunch \u201cgive me the facts, Ma\u2019am\u201d kind of writers. But you are a writer, after all. You worked to develop the skills you have. If you want to write your memoir or a book of stories or do more profile pieces, and if what you\u2019re writing falls a little flat, use these ideas and practice, practice, practice. You\u2019ll soon see your storytelling skills become sharper and sharper.<\/p>\n If you need help with your manuscript, contact me here: PLFry620@yahoo.com <\/p>\n Catscapades Update<\/strong> Another reader says, \u201cWell, I’ve read Catscapade<\/em>s from cover to cover & loved it! This will be a treasured book that I will re-read many times. I’m grateful for your gift to write & your ability to get these stories in print for all of us to enjoy. But beyond actually enjoying the stories, I found the stories brought to mind my own life cat encounters. It is a great little book!\u201d<\/p>\n Order your copy from Amazon.com or at my website: http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades.html<\/a> <\/p>\n
\nOur shipment of Catscapades, True Cat Tal<\/em><\/strong>es arrived last week. We\u2019re already receiving comments from happy readers. One animal person said, \u201cThis is a book that can be read again and again. It\u2019s not just information, it\u2019s a feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n