Where are the non-fiction writers?

[Guest]

There’s a lot of focus on fiction in this forum. Where are the non-fiction writers at? What unique challenges do you face?

[Gabriel]

I write both. I post my non-fiction to various publications on Medium. I think my biggest challenge has been trying to gain a wider audience.

[Craig]

I've written various non fiction, about music, hillwalking, history. The hardest part is credibility: why should somebody buy your book, when other people have more expertise in your area?

[Marius]

Making a Story about a physicist who had a great Mission but everything beyond like 2 moments is somewhat.. borikg

[John]

First of all, everything is fiction. We just convince ourselves that what we think is real wasn’t invented by our imaginations or by someone else we’ve been listening to. Just remember that, and write with integrity.

[Ron]

Main challenges in selling nonfiction to a publisher are kind of summed up in the questions you’d be asked: What would the audience be for this book? Who would read it? Are there already any other books on the same subject? If so, what makes yours different?

[Cara]

I’m actually writing a memoir, about having been physically and sexually abused as a child, and the depression, PTSD, and anxiety that came after, non fiction. The challenge I face is my own anger and resentment. My first draft read like an angry screed against my abusers. And I realized how full of anger and resentment I actually was. I had to let go that rage, and learn to see my abusers as flawed, broken people who need love and kindness rather than anger.

[Steve]

The challenge for non fiction is the truth. Fiction writers can't handle the truth

[Aja]

I haven't done much but a friend of mine has done quite a bit of work and based on my conversations with him, as so many things that come up here, the answer seems to be: It depends. There's nonfiction, there's creative nonfiction (and the differences as I see can be minimal to canyonesque). When I ask him about the difference between writing fiction and his nonfiction work, he laughs and says, "Life's messy. It doesn't always give you neat arcs or even an ending."

[Suzuko]

Question that goes through my mind: How much of the truth should I write (without someone putting me on "To Sue in Court" list)?

[Eric]

As a fiction writer, I have the greatest respect for the Non Fiction writers. Truthfully, the research you have to do would be too taxing for me as I love the freedom of inventing, creating.

[Debra]

If you are writing about another person you have to interview people and sometimes that can be intimidating. Sometimes they hold high positions, and you know next to nothing about what they do...so you have to prepare some good questions and tell them how long you plan to visit and leave on time. If you are writing about yourself, you have to make sure that if you say important things...like what types of medicine you took during an illness or what types of foods helped to combat symptoms during an illness...I wrote about having shingles....you need to get all that info correct...because people might use the information to help with their own symptoms.