Fiction? Nonfiction?

In Today's Journal

* The Stephen King February Challenge
* Fiction? Nonfiction?
* Of Interest
* The Numbers

The Stephen King February Challenge

begins tomorrow. The challenge is to write 1,000 wpd (average) every day during the month of February.

If you want a shot at the prizes, email me at harveystanbrough@gmail.com to let me know you're in.

Fiction? Nonfiction?

A writer recently emailed me to say,

"In fiction there is minimal editing. We check for grammatical, spelling and other things to change. ... So non-fiction is a different animal. Where does the critical mind come into it that is different than fiction?"

In a subsequent email, he added,

"Many of us write both fiction and non-fiction. The whole WITD focused almost exclusively on fiction. There are thousands of us who would like comments on a WITD teacher on both types of writing."

Finally, he complained that even though some fiction writers also write nonfiction, we who teach fiction don't hold forth on how to write nonfiction.

That's probably true. In at least my case, it's true.

I don't teach much about writing nonfiction because that isn't my area of expertise. I primarily write fiction.

And there are tons of books available on how to write nonfiction, and there really isn't much any of those authors can do to screw it up because it's only nonfiction. You're stating either fact or your opinion. Shrug. What's so difficult?

But because the guy asked, here's my take on the topic:

First, to be sure we're on the same page, there are many different kinds of nonfiction.

What is typically labeled "creative nonfiction" and "memoir" are both much closer to fiction than nonfiction.

Why?

Creative nonfiction is typically the writer's perception and opinions. Fiction is the characters' perception and opinions. Shrug. Really the same thing except the writer is the POV character in creative nonfiction.

It's also the same thing in memoir. The memoir is told from the particular writer's perception (memories) and with his or her opinions, though they're most often presented as facts.

The truth is, if you discuss your memoir with another family member, the Other most often will remember the same events and the subsequent results completely differently than you do. And that's fine. Memoir is only a personal recollection.

If you want to write a family history (for example) instead of a memoir, I suggest you get input directly from all living family members. Yes, even the weird or grouchy ones you don't like. Then do your best to smooth all of that input into a cohesive and at least relatively factual history.

But I believe my corespondent was talking more about didactic, instructive nonfiction than about the more creative forms.

Here's my response, though I've elaborated somewhat:

The only real difference for me personally between the fiction and the nonfiction that I write is this:

With my fiction, I'm only telling a story.

Nothing more important than that. The reader isn't depending on me for anything other than a few minutes' (short story) or a few hour' (novel) entertainment. Nothing more.

Actually, since I write into the dark, I'm not even responsible for my fiction, because it's the characters' story, not mine. I'm only conveying what actually happened in their world as I ran through it with them.

However, with my nonfiction, the reader has expectations.

At the very least, s/he expects me to cover thoroughly whatever topic I've introduced in either the TNDJ post or nonfiction book.

The reader of any nonfiction expects and hopes to learn something new. Either something s/he has never considered before or some problem s/he's considered but hasn't been able to solve.

In the case of my nonfiction, s/he expects to learn something that will advance and deepen his or her experience as a fiction writer or the writing itself.

So when I write a nonfiction book, I begin by 'outlining' in the form of a table of contents that changes as I go. That's critical mind. I shared the evolving TOC with you when I wrote Writing Better Fiction (for example).

As an aside, You Cannot Outline in creative mind.

Try to outline (or 'mindmap' or 'erect signposts' or whatever) without thinking your way through it. Can't be done. That's why I never recommend outlining for fiction writers.

Also when I cycle through and/or copyedit my nonfiction or fiction books, I'm a little more attentive to particular words and phrases and the choices of those.

So I’m in and out of critical/creative mind as I cycle. I can do that because I’ve written so much. I want to be sure I convey exactly what I (as the presenter) want the reader to understand.

That's also the main reason I so often use my own fiction as examples of techniques in my nonfiction TNDJ posts and in my nonfiction books. I absolutely know—all day every day and twice on Sunday—why I did what I did in my own work.

If I even tried to use another writer's work as an example—say Stephen King's—I'd only be guessing at best.

So my own attention to detail (a function of the conscious, critical mind) as I cycle and copyedit is really the only difference between my fiction and nonfiction. For me, not much difference at all.

But in nonfiction, I'm more likely to let the conscious, critical mind 'take over' when necessary. In my fiction, I never let the CCM take over. If it does, I delete the passage and recast it.

I don't LIKE working from the conscious, critical mind.

Maybe that's why I've written only 16 or 17 nonfiction books (so I'm certainly no expert on nonfiction) and 116 novels and novellas.

But back to the question: "Where does the critical mind come into [nonfiction] that is different than fiction?"

I'm more attentive and careful—meaning I invoke the conscious critical mind more and to a greater degree—with my nonfiction because I want to deliver on what I promised.

Also maybe interesting to note, I usually only write nonfiction on topics I know absolutely and thoroughly. So much of it comes from my creative subconscious.

Because I know the topic so thoroughly, I'm also careful when writing nonfiction not to omit something I know just because I know it so well that I no longer think about it.

Just because I know something that well doesn't mean the reader already knows it too. So I'm careful to include those things too. If I didn't, I'd be a pretty lousy teacher.

In nonfiction (teaching) you have to teach not only theory but what you know to be fact because you've been doing it so long.

Which brings up one more point:

I strongly recommend you NOT write instructive nonfiction on any topic that you do NOT know thoroughly. If you don't wear it like a second skin, don't talk about it. You'll only serve to advertise your own ignorance.

Besides, you can always take a step back and offer your opinions in creative nonfiction. Nobody takes that seriously. It's only another form of entertainment.

Okay. That's my spiel on my personal experience with writing nonfiction as well as fiction. To answer the original question as succinctly as I can...

1. How much should the conscious, critical mind enter into writing fiction?

Not at all, from either you or from others (critique groups, beta readers, etc.).

2. How much should the conscious, critical mind enter into writing didactic, instructional nonfiction?

As much and as often as necessary. Of course, if you know the topic as thoroughly as you should, much nonfiction that you write will come from your creative subconscious.

I hope that answers the question. If anyone has other questions about this, feel free to email me at harveystanbrough@gmail.com and ask.

If I don't get quite a few questions on writing nonfiction from other sources, I probably won't talk about it again in TNDJ because

1. TNDJ is primarily my platform for enhancing your fiction writing experience, and

2. I don't want to. It's not my area of expertise.

Talk with you again soon.

Of Interest

6 Reasons to Turn Down a Writing Opportunity...

The Numbers

The Journal…………………………… 1320

Writing of Blackwell Ops 36: Temple's Dream

Day 1…… 2476 words. To date…… 2476
Day 2…… 1484 words. To date…… 3960
Day 3…… 2837 words. To date…… 6797
Day 4…… 4223 words. To date…… 11020
Day 5…… 3366 words. To date…… 14386
Day 6…… 3123 words. To date…… 17509
Day 7…… 1289 words. To date…… 18798
Day 8…… 3609 words. To date…… 22407
Day 9…… 5245 words. To date…… 27652

Fiction for January…………………… 114845
Fiction for 2025………………………. 114845
Nonfiction for January……………….. 31980
Nonfiction for 2025…………………… 31980
2025 consumable words…………….. 146825

Average Fiction WPD (January)…….. 3828

2025 Novels to Date…………………….. 2
2025 Novellas to Date…………………… 0
2025 Short Stories to Date……………… 3
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………..... 106
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)…………… 10
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)……… 274
Short story collections……………………. 29

Disclaimer: Whatever you believe, unreasoning fear and the myths that outlining, revising, and rewriting will make your work better are lies. They will always slow your progress as a writer or stop you cold. I will never teach the myths on this blog.

Writing fiction should never be something that stresses you out. It should be fun. On this blog I teach Writing Into the Dark and adherence to Heinlein’s Rules. Because of WITD and because I endeavor to follow those Rules I am a prolific professional fiction writer. You can be too.