There was a time when I thought that fiction was the only way to write a page-turner, but that was a long time ago. Today, there are so many exciting non-fiction books available that I am drawn to the library's overstocked shelves as soon as I walk in. Non-fiction can stimulate the brain and put the reader in touch with feelings long forgotten. It can inspire courage, integrity, love, and a yearning to write that long dreamed about memoir. It doesn't matter whether it's an essay, an autobiography, a biography, a factual account of an event, or an author's take on an event, every piece of non-fiction has the ability to excite the reader. So what makes an exciting book of non-fiction? Character. The writer's character that it.
Character is defined as an individual's moral and mental qualities--an individual's personality, nature, and even temperament. Every book written displays a slice of the writer's character. It's evident by the pace, the style, the sentence structure, and even their choice of words. If it's an educational work or even a cookbook, the reader can see the writer in the choice of pictures, maps, captions, and even how the work is presented. Take Ree Drummond's Pioneer Cookbooks for example. The reader is enticed by the colorful photos, but they keep reading because of the Pioneer Woman's take on food and everyday life.
If it's a biography, or even an autobiography, the reader can understand the writer through his or her visions, and versions, of the past and even the future. My favorite book in this non-fiction genre is "I know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou. Through her choice of words, you feel what she felt as a black woman and understand her struggle. But, she tells it in such a way that you are inspired by her experience to be a better person, open your heart to love, and to make your life, and the lives of others, matter. Nelson Mandela's "Long Walk to Freedom" is another book that takes you on a journey you didn't anticipate, but when the journey is finished you are inspired, hopeful, and touched in ways that you will never forget.
If it's creative non-fiction, then the writer shows his or her personality through the story he or she weaves. Laura Hillenbrand's books "Unbroken" and "Seabiscuit" are two such books. From the story Hillenbrand weaves around each of these two events, you can see her compassion, her empathy, and her penchant for the truth as raw as it can be sometimes.
Yes, non-fiction can be exciting if the author has character and allows it to seep through his or her written word. Personally, I love non-fiction. I love to read it and write it, but I also love fiction. That's why my present work in progress is non-fiction. My only hope is that my character does it justice.
Character is defined as an individual's moral and mental qualities--an individual's personality, nature, and even temperament. Every book written displays a slice of the writer's character. It's evident by the pace, the style, the sentence structure, and even their choice of words. If it's an educational work or even a cookbook, the reader can see the writer in the choice of pictures, maps, captions, and even how the work is presented. Take Ree Drummond's Pioneer Cookbooks for example. The reader is enticed by the colorful photos, but they keep reading because of the Pioneer Woman's take on food and everyday life.
If it's a biography, or even an autobiography, the reader can understand the writer through his or her visions, and versions, of the past and even the future. My favorite book in this non-fiction genre is "I know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou. Through her choice of words, you feel what she felt as a black woman and understand her struggle. But, she tells it in such a way that you are inspired by her experience to be a better person, open your heart to love, and to make your life, and the lives of others, matter. Nelson Mandela's "Long Walk to Freedom" is another book that takes you on a journey you didn't anticipate, but when the journey is finished you are inspired, hopeful, and touched in ways that you will never forget.
If it's creative non-fiction, then the writer shows his or her personality through the story he or she weaves. Laura Hillenbrand's books "Unbroken" and "Seabiscuit" are two such books. From the story Hillenbrand weaves around each of these two events, you can see her compassion, her empathy, and her penchant for the truth as raw as it can be sometimes.
Yes, non-fiction can be exciting if the author has character and allows it to seep through his or her written word. Personally, I love non-fiction. I love to read it and write it, but I also love fiction. That's why my present work in progress is non-fiction. My only hope is that my character does it justice.
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