Last Updated on January 15, 2023 by Nathaniel Tower
As a fiction writer, you may be wondering why you should spend time writing non-fiction. After all, you’ve likely honed your skills in crafting compelling stories, creating relatable characters, and building suspense. But writing non-fiction can actually help you become an even better fiction writer. In this blog post, we’ll explore several reasons why writing non-fiction can help improve your fiction writing skills.
But before we get into that, a quick funny story for you. When I taught high school English, many of my students struggled to understand the difference between fiction and non-fiction. No matter how many times we discussed it, many were convinced that non-fiction meant “fake” because of the negative word “non” in front of it. I really had to drill into their heads that fiction meant fake, so non-fiction meant not fake. I don’t know why this was so tough for some of them.
I know most writers don’t struggle to distinguish between these two. But we also all know that truth is sometimes stranger than fiction, so you can’t blame my students for not being able to recognize The Great Gatsby as made up and The Diary of a Young Girl as being a true story.
Regardless of how easy it is to tell the two apart, let’s all agree that fiction writers can benefit from writing non-fiction. Here’s why.
Non-fiction helps you develop a better understanding of the world
Fiction writing often requires you to create believable worlds, cultures, and characters. But if you don’t have a solid understanding of the real world, it can be difficult to create believable fiction. Writing non-fiction, whether it’s a personal essay, a news article, or a research paper, can help you gain a deeper understanding of the world around you. This knowledge can then be applied to your fiction writing, making your characters and worlds more realistic and relatable.
If your readers can’t believe your stories (or at least find it in themselves to suspend their disbelief), then your fiction isn’t going to hook them.
Non-fiction requires different skills than fiction
Fiction and non-fiction writing require different skills. Fiction writing is all about creating a story with a setting and a plot, while non-fiction writing is about presenting information. When you write non-fiction, you need to be able to research and organize information, present it in a logical and concise way, and make sure your facts are accurate. These skills can be transferred to your fiction writing, making your stories more well-rounded, polished, and believable.
By spending more time writing non-fiction, you will likely improve your research skills, which will make it easier for you to create the believable fiction we talked about in the first point above.
Writing non-fiction can help you find new inspiration
Writing the same type of fiction over and over can lead to writer’s block. Writing non-fiction can help you break out of that rut and find new inspiration. For example, if you’re a science fiction writer, writing a non-fiction article about the latest advances in technology can give you new ideas for your next novel. Or, if you’re a romance writer, writing a personal essay about a past relationship can give you new perspectives on love and relationships.
If you’re ever stuck in your fiction-writing pursuits, give a non-fiction piece a try.
Non-fiction can help you learn to write in different styles and formats
Writing non-fiction can help you learn to write in different styles and formats. For example, writing a news article requires a very different style than writing a personal essay. And writing a research paper requires a different format than writing a novel. By learning to write in different styles and formats, you can become a more versatile writer and be able to adapt to different types of projects. This can be transferred to your fiction writing to make you a less formulaic author.
One of the main reasons fiction writers find their writing rejected is because it feels too much like paint-by-numbers. By writing more non-fiction, you might find yourself getting published more. And we all want to sell those short stories, right?
Non-fiction allows you to practice writing in a different tone and voice
Fiction writing often requires you to write in a specific tone and voice to match the story and characters. However, writing non-fiction allows you to practice writing in a different tone and voice. For example, writing a persuasive essay requires a different tone and voice than writing a creative short story. By writing in different tones and voices, you can expand your writing abilities and become more versatile as a writer. This can help you create a more diverse range of characters and stories in your fiction writing, and make your writing more dynamic and engaging for the readers.
Non-fiction writing doesn’t have to be a radical departure from your fiction. If you don’t like traditional research and non-fiction pieces, then give creative non-fiction a try. This allows you to still focus on storytelling while incorporating more fact and details into your writing.
In conclusion, writing non-fiction can help improve your fiction writing skills in many ways. It can help you develop a better understanding of the world, tap into different skills you normally don’t use as a fiction writer, help you find new inspiration, and also help you learn to write in different styles and formats. It’s a great way to challenge yourself and take your writing to the next level.
Next time you’re feeling stuck in your fiction writing, consider trying your hand at non-fiction. You may be surprised at how much it can help you improve your fiction writing skills.
Do you write both fiction and non-fiction? Share your experience in the comments. And don’t forget to share this post on all your favorite social channels.
