OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna Penn
I started out writing non-fiction with no thought of even trying fiction, mainly because I thought I had to write like Umberto Eco in order to be considered a literary success.
You’re already confident with writing nonfiction, so making the transition to fiction should be no big deal, right? Not. There’s actually a significant learning curve to recognizing and mastering the essential elements of writing fiction that captivates readers, sells well, and garners glowing reviews.
As an independent editor specializing in popular, fast-paced fiction, I often receive manuscripts from professionals and others who write a lot of nonfiction and are attaching a draft of a novel or short story. They often assume that since they’re used to writing, the transition to fiction will be easy.
Not so.
Nonfiction writers and first-time novelists often don’t realize the importance of issues they’re simply not aware of, so they ask me for “just a light copyedit.” When I start reading their manuscript, I often notice right away the story seems to lack sparkle. It doesn’t engage me and make me want to keep reading.
The writers, although accomplished in their field, have little or no concept of the critical aspects of point of view and showing instead of telling.
Other issues I see are writing that is just too “correct” and distant for storytelling, with stilted dialogue, too-frequent author intrusions, and bland, neutral narration. Finally, the writing often meanders along at too leisurely a pace, lacking sufficient conflict, tension, intrigue, and general zing.
The following tips, for anyone wanting to master the art of storytelling, will help you bring your characters and story world to life by loosening up your language, getting up close and personal with your characters, letting them tell the story, and showing their emotions and reactions. Of course, you’ll need to start with a charismatic protagonist, a critical problem, plenty of conflict, and an intriguing plot.
1. Get into your character’s head – and stay there.
Start right out in the point of view of your protagonist and show the events through his eyes, with his internal reactions. Forget omniscient point of view – it’s no longer in favor, and for very good reason. Readers want to get “up close and personal” with the main character, so they can become emotionally engaged and sucked into the story.
Show your character’s thoughts, perceptions, and inner reactions to what’s going on right away, so readers can identify with her and bond with her. Don’t head-hop to other characters’ thoughts within a scene. To get into the head of others, like the antagonist or love interest, give them their own viewpoint scenes.
2. Stay out of the story as the author.
Let the characters tell the story, in a natural way that is authentic to the story world you’re creating. This will keep the readers immersed in the fictive dream. Don’t interrupt the story by stepping in as the author to explain things to the readers. In other words, avoid info dumps and other author intrusions.
3. Make sure your story has plenty of conflict and tension.
Conflict is what drives fiction. No conflict = no story. Not enough conflict and tension = boring. Every scene should have some conflict and a change. Every page should have some tension, even if it’s just an undercurrent of unease, disagreement, or resentment.
4. Loosen up your language.
Again, “let the characters tell the story.” Forget perfect English, complete sentences, convoluted phrasing, or fancy-schmancy vocabulary. Use direct language and strong imagery, in the character’s thoughts, colored by their personality, education, background and attitudes. In other words, stay in your character’s mood and voice, using words and phrasing they would use, which also fit the overall tone of the story, rather than a more correct, neutral language.
5. Show, Don’t Tell
Don’t step in as the author to tell your readers about your characters or their background or to relate something that happened. And don’t have one character tell another about a critical event that occurred offstage. Show important scenes in real time, with action and dialogue.
Also, to bring your characters alive, be sure to show their emotions, internal and external reactions, and physical sensations.
Evoke all or most of the senses. Don’t just show what the character is seeing. What is she hearing, smelling, feeling? Even tasting?
6. Use snappy dialogue.
Dialogue needs lots of tension and attitude. Be sure your dialogue doesn’t all sound the same – like it’s the author speaking. Each character’s words and speech patterns need to match their personality and background.
Avoid complete sentences and perfect English in dialogue. Use frequent partial sentences, one- or two-word questions and answers, evasive replies, abrupt changes of topic, and silences. Read your dialogue out loud, perhaps role-playing with someone else, to make sure it sounds natural and authentic.
Also, skip the “Hi, how are you?” and other blah-blah lead-up and filler. Cut to the chase in your dialogue.
7. Even your narration should not be neutral.
Avoid bland, authorial narration.
Any backstory should be the character’s thoughts, colored by their feelings about it, and keep it to a minimum, preferably with flashbacks in real time. Even your description, exposition, and narration should not be neutral – these are really the POV character’s observations, and should reveal their personality, goals, attitude and mood.
Do you have any more tips to share for nonfiction writers or anyone else just getting into writing fiction? Please do leave a comment below.
For more info, please visit Jodie’s author website or editor website, or find her on Facebook or Twitter.
Image: Flickr Creative Commons pen by Gregory Wake
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1 2 Next »Thanks for hosting my craft-of-fiction article, Joanna! It's an honour to be a guest blogger on your excellent blog! I look forward to comments, questions, and suggestions from writers and readers on both sides of the pond!
I've had fun merging fiction and nonfiction to make creative nonfiction (nonfiction writing style, but the content is fiction). I guess it could conceivably be used as a transitional phase for nonfiction writers who are stuck in their ways.
Good luck with your creative nonfiction, Tom. Usually that's used for content that is mostly or almost all true, but written in a narrative style, like a fiction story. Creative nonfiction (narrative nonfiction) should follow most of the style guidelines for fiction, to make the story more compelling for readers.
Good luck with all your writing projects!
Thank you! That was very useful and also let's me know I'm on exactly the right track in my first novel.
Thanks, Valentina! Great to hear you're on the right track with your novel!
Jodie, some excellent advice. I have written 40 books now, mostly non-fiction and am starting out on my third fictional one. Your words make absolute sense. I have just completed a four week course on writing fiction and am amazed at what needs to go into the novel before the writing even starts. I am busy with this now and feeling quite daunted. Your advice will be firmly on my desk in the months ahead as I plough through the first draft. And thanks Jo for another excellent topic.
Thanks for your comments, Grant. Wow! You're a prolific writer of non-fiction! I'm impressed. It's great that you are well aware of the learning curve to writing compelling fiction that sells. My Style That Sizzles & Pacing for Power (link above) has tons of concrete before-and-after examples for relaxing overly formal or "correct" writing to create a natural, casual, appealing fictive voice - with attitude!
Keep on writing! I look forward to reading your fiction when it comes out! :-)
I have written a few short fiction and non-fiction pieces that have been published. My friend has asked me to help her get her mother's novel to print. The story is interesting, but lacks edginess. It is well written, but has rather tight and formal language. Thanks Jodie and Joanna, now I have the perfect list to forward to my friend.
I'm glad you found my tips helpful for your current project, D.F.! :-)
These are great tips Jodie!
Jodie edited my first non-fiction book (back in 2009). She is one incredibly gifted woman! This year I'm finally making the leap into fiction and participating in National Novel Writing Month. I'll be sure to print Jodie's tips and keep them close at hand. Thanks again Jodie!
Thanks for stopping by and leaving such a nice comment, Renia! It was obvious to me back in 2009 that you're an excellent writer, so I'm thrilled that you're trying your hand at fiction now! I hope you'll check out my Style That Sizzles craft of writing book, which just won a Silver Medal.
And Renia, I forgot to say good luck with this project, and I look forward to seeing your first novel in print!
Great article. Particularly liked your insight on POV.
Thanks, David. I'm glad you found my ideas helpful. Good luck with your WIP!
Great tips, I really like number 7. In a short story I'm working on, I continuously struggle with finding a balance between, describing the city/world, and moving the story forward. Now I know to focus on what the character sees and encounters. She will build the world for me.
Yes, and be sure to color what she's observing with her personality, mood, and goals, Brian, to bring both your character and scene to life, and drive the story forward. Good luck with that!
Hi Jodie, an excellent post. As a writer of both fiction and narrative nonfiction I believe the craft is pretty much the same, but you identify the main features that we need to focus on for fiction. To me, POV and voice are key and often hard to grasp, which is why (if you'll forgive my mentioning it), Collca has released my book that goes into these topics in detail (Inside Stories for Writers and Readers). I love to write in different genre and to see other writers doing so, although the pressure to brand oneself can feel restricting. It's good to see the positive comments here of so many people writing both fiction and nonfiction. Thank you.
Trish, I lump narrative nonfiction or creative nonfiction in with fiction. Both are a lot different from informative, nonfiction writing on a topic, which is what I think of as "nonfiction." Creative or narrative nonfiction is storytelling and needs basically all the same elements as fiction, including dialogue and a character arc, and point of view and voice are critical for narrative nonfiction, as they are for fiction. So is the concept of showing instead of telling. All of these help to bring the story to life for the readers.
Thanks for dropping by and commenting!
Hi Jodie, thank you for a very insightful article. The dramatic possibilities in POV seems to be overlooked with many new writers. You've certainly nailed it succinctly. I find the best way to capture voice is just listen to the conversations going on around you. The way that certain people from different backgrounds talk to each other. I make notes of the words they use. I always advise new writers to be a spy. Listen. Take notes. We've all got smart phones these days so it can be unobtrusive to capture a particularly useful exchange you may have overheard at a bar, a cafe or even on the street. Listen to the way your friends and family use language. The words they omit. The ones they repeat. If you can get a handle of the vocabulary your character would use in real life, it makes writing dialogue much easier, more authentic and fun! Thanks again for a wonderful guest blog post.
Geoff, thanks so much for your excellent ideas! Writers definitely need to be spies and lurkers! LOL.
Get familiar with the "Record" button on your cell phone - you never know when you're going to want to use it. If writers want to know how cops talk, go to a bar or café where they hang out and sit as close to them as you can and take notes or record their conversation. Of course if your novel is set in a different area than your home, this gets a little harder, logistically. But you can always watch movies and TV shows depicting the type of people you're writing about, in their own locale. And I don't advise you to hang out in the dangerous parts of town, so that's where TV, movies, and novels will help you nail the dialogue so it sounds real.
Then after you've written your dialogue, read it out loud or role-play it with a friend or two to see if it flows out naturally and authentically.
Thanks again for your great observations, Geoff!