The other night a family member (great guy in his early 20s) called to discuss writing generally, fiction and nonfiction. He’s working and volunteering and wants to share some experiences.
During our fictional conversation, I recalled that my mother had introduced me to short stories and novels (“Honey, don’t see the movie after you read the book, because it’s always a disappointment,” she advised?). In our nonfictional conversation, I told him that my father had subscribed to our local daily newspapers, and I do, too (yes, hard copy, so there!). Besides the news side, I look for movie reviews?
“Well [he brought me back to the point], how do you tell a story?” Good question.
Fiction, as we know, is imaginary and created by an author who develops a plot and characters to tell the story. As the style and plot evolve, the author’s goal reveals itself in the climax, often an unexpected turn of events.
Nonfiction, such as journalism, should be an objective, balanced and verifiable report of facts. We expect actual events, truth and cited sources in articles and books, news coverage, histories, scientific reports, white papers, case studies, travelogues and other nonfiction.
There’s also creative or narrative nonfiction – a story that is factual and verifiable but reads like fiction. It sets the scene, uses imagery and metaphors, presents well-developed characters (real people including protagonists and antagonists) in engaging dialog. While creative nonfiction should tell the truth, it is not necessarily objective in the journalistic sense of objectivity. It, like fiction, also presents a (turning) point or perspective.
If you’re working in marketing and PR, you often tell your client’s story – an experience that reflects the problem/solution and benefits – in narrative nonfiction.
After patiently listening to me (I went on too long), my relative returned to the introduction, whether in fiction or nonfiction. “That’s the hardest part of writing for me,” he said, “and it often stops me from writing.”
The intro is frequently a big challenge for all of us, so don’t allow it to frustrate you and stop the process. Remember your goal, start writing in the middle, and the intro will emerge later.
What do you want to say, what is your (preferred or required) form of expression, and how do you want to say it?
Is it time to tell your story?
Thank you, and I definitely will continue…but give me a little time to consider it.
Sally
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During our fictional conversation, I recalled that my mother had introduced me to short stories and novels (“Honey, don’t see the movie after you read [……
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