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Nonfiction Writing Techniques

A common misconception about nonfiction writing -- whether it be a book, essay or article -- is it is boring or flat. However, this needn't be the case. There are several important nonfiction writing techniques you can apply to your work to bring your nonfiction to life. With any piece of nonfiction writing, research and planning is imperative. A well-researched piece of writing is interesting and believable. By combining good research and creative techniques, you can improve the quality of your nonfiction writing.
  1. Breaking Up Text

    • Large blocks of nonfiction text can be off-putting for readers. Try breaking up large chunks of text to make your nonfiction writing more user-friendly. Use bullet points to list important information or instructions. By using lists, you can organize information in a way that makes it easily accessible for the reader.

    Quotes

    • Quotes and anecdotes can make your nonfiction writing more interesting, but at the same time, they can also increase the validity of your text. By including quotes, you can engage the reader; they also act as another handy way of breaking up the text.

    Research and Planning

    • Before you begin to write your nonfiction text, it is important you research and carefully plan what you are going to write. Apply different planning techniques, such as brainstorming and grouping similar topics, so you can arrange your information in an order that flows and makes sense to the reader. Conduct your primary research, through your local library or over the Internet, then take a step back and think about the areas where you might need to conduct more research.

    Create Anticipation

    • Simply because you are writing nonfiction does not mean you cannot build suspense. When writing about an event, nonfiction writers often refer to feelings in the past; for example, when writing about a divorce, you reveal you have felt unhappy for some time. Instead, you should write about being unhappy earlier in text, which will allow readers to formulate their own feelings and ideas and will encourage them to read on.

    Propel Your Text

    • A common shortcoming of nonfiction text is chapters and events seem to sit calmly alongside each other. To make your text more interesting and exciting, use the idea of consequences to propel your writing forward. Once you have written about an event, use the consequences of that event to progress your text in a logical way. This will retain the structure of your text, but will also add a sense of movement.

Nonfiction

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