Letting narrative nonfiction flow

I'd say write and correct later. You can always correct but flow is a fickle thing.

The story is already mapped out for you somewhat in nonfiction. You can still be creative, but think of it as coloring within the lines.

I agree with Ruth. My approach has been to ensure I have detailed notes already. Names, dates, quotes, that sort of thing.

Then I just sit down and write as if I was writing fiction, with those notes serving the same purpose as a rough outline would when writing a novel.

Then I go back and double-check all that factual data, switching my writer's hat for my journalist's hat.

That was my approach when writing a book on the history of Lakehurst, NJ, and it seemed to go over well with readers. Most of the comments I've gotten have mentioned that it doesn't read like a history book -- which was exactly my intention!

When I was writing my memoir, which was based on my father's time during WWII, I put a row of dashes when I didn't know something right then and there. Like you said, it might be something like the day of the week or the color of a chair or whatever. Then on days when I was stuck or not motivated to write new material, I would look up those facts and plug them in. It actually worked well because I was always moving forward with the book, but in different ways. Stopping the creative process to look up a fact doesn't work at all for me. When I'm in the mode, I have to keep going. Hope this helps a bit. ~Karen

I personally find it very hard to work out what narrative will best present the facts and not push me to becoming to much of a fantasist.

And then he...

I wish you much luck with your book, x. Writing about someone else has to be a challenge. My book was about myself, so memory played a major role. As for flow, that was no problem, because I have words in me I've never even used. And yes, I know it isn't the number, but the arrangement that makes for flow.

It sounds as though yours might be one I'd enjoy; so many biographies are the And then he, And then he kind. If you have an interesting subject and can avoid the And then he trap, you could have a winner. Good luck.

When I was writing my story of a tragic event that happened in my life I wrote down all the events I wanted to cover. Then I began the job of fleshing out the things that really happened, painstakingly. Since good writing is all about rewriting ad infinitum, you will have plenty of rereads and rewrites to make sure the details are correct. Don't sweat it. Just write. That's the important thing.

I'd agree with what Ruth said up the top too. I'm writing my first non-fiction at the moment, and I'm finding it easiest to get down the bones of it and then fill in anything I'm unsure about later. You obviously have to have most of the facts in place to even be able to do that, but if there's a surname you're unsure about - for example - I'd just put xxx and make sure I make it really clear that I need to come back to it.

Not sure if this is the best way for everyone, but it allows me to make progress without getting caught up in little details and losing my momentum.

One of my favorite essays about this issue is by Patricia Hampl in her book I Could Tell You Stories/ In the chapter "Memory and Imagination," she writes about inaccurate memories and what they can tell us about the piece we're writing. I Googled and found a couple of PDFs online but I'm not sure about permissions so I'm not posting the links. But the whole book is worth a read; it's one of my favorite and most-frequently re-read craft books. Even if you're interviewing, you can use the ideas to follow up. If someone remembers something wrong, sometimes it's a way in to a whole different idea.

What I love about nonfiction is finding the connections in memories, and from there, the meaning of what I'm writing. It's such a different challenge from fiction for me.

I'm a stickler for accuracy, but I agree with suggestions to right now, check and correct later. I'm a color coder, so if I want to make sure I go back and check for accuracy later, I highlight the text (blue).

Best of luck!

RedWritingHood said:

...Since good writing is all about rewriting ad infinitum, you will have plenty of rereads and rewrites to make sure the details are correct. Don't sweat it. Just write. That's the important thing.

Click to expand...

Well said!

I usually enjoy rewriting more than composing the first draft as it isn't nearly as stressful. Also, I choose which topic to tackle according to my current mood and energy level. I keep a handwritten "Master Topic List" on a legal pad and review it when I sit down to write. Which topic appeals to me today? Or... which of these can I knock off without going into brainlock? Day by day, month by month, I eventually work every entry on the list and end up with a first draft.

Get and hold as much of the facts in your mind as possible as that helps you to write easily. Become an authority, then you can just write out of your head. Little bits and peices can be picked up later anyway.
I do it also like Grouchpotato - you have different topics and work on each peice/chapter as you feel. Of course that leaves all the less attractive bits to last, which means the final stretch is grimly hacked out, but sometimes that what you have to do. This last one I left an attractive topic till last to smooth out the ride.

While I also use the fill-in-details-later system (journalists use TK, as in To Kome), when writing about complicated events, I almost always use a timeline to assemble my facts on. From that, I sketch out a few simple paragraphs that summarize the core events.

While it's true there's plenty of opportunity for rewriting, I've found that if you make an error in a basic, fundamental underlying fact or element, chances are slimmer that error will be caught at a later stage. Your mind starts to accept those facts as infallible, and you don't bother to doublecheck it because you *know* it. That covers such items as names, dates, basic characterization or description of events, etc. So my goal is to write the heck out of those paragraphs that provide the nut of the story before anything else. If your foundation is firm, your house will probably stand up.