# The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Nonfiction
## Metadata
- Author: [[Christina Boufis]]
- Full Title: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Nonfiction
- Category: #books
## Highlights
- That’s the recipe for narrative nonfiction: ([Location 210](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=210))
- something that reads like fiction—in that captivating, can’t-wait-to-turn-the-pages way—except your story is real. ([Location 229](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=229))
- personal essays ([Location 273](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=273))
- malleable genre roughly divided into shorter and longer forms. ([Location 275](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=275))
- We want to read what’s “real” and true. ([Location 288](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=288))
- the essay in particular, ([Location 290](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=290))
- Though many of the storytelling techniques are the same, there’s one crucial difference: you absolutely cannot make anything up in nonfiction. ([Location 296](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=296))
- You have something to teach people or information to impart. ([Location 341](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=341))
- You want to give hope or inspiration to others. ([Location 346](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=346))
- You are curious about people and the world around you. ([Location 349](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=349))
- Brainstorm a list of all the reasons you want to write nonfiction. Don’t censor yourself; no reason is too grandiose or too small. ([Location 353](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=353))
- scene setting, characterization, dialogue, description, plot, and conflict. ([Location 355](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=355))
- Characters are real people, not based on real people. ([Location 361](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=361))
- Characters cannot be combined. ([Location 362](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=362))
- accurate and truthful as possible, ([Location 368](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=368))
- Write down 5 or 10 odd, quirky, or different things about yourself. ([Location 390](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=390))
- Long-form fiction may be book length—50,000 to 100,000 words—or anything in between. ([Location 443](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=443))
- work that is substantive yet can be read in one sitting. ([Location 446](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=446))
- Narrative nonfiction is perhaps the most popular form of writing in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. ([Location 500](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=500))
- while life hands you the raw material that forms the basis of nonfiction, how do you shape it? ([Location 519](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=519))
- The answer lies in the concept of story. ([Location 521](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=521))
- what the events mean. ([Location 523](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=523))
- asking these questions will help transform event into story. ([Location 525](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=525))
- Storytelling is at the heart of all good narrative nonfiction. ([Location 533](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=533))
- central question that underlies all good stories: What happens next? ([Location 543](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=543))
- I think it kills the writing of a piece to be too intentional when you start out. ([Location 552](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=552))
- there are characters, though we don’t know their names. ([Location 556](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=556))
- a story has a protagonist ([Location 576](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=576))
- Character: ([Location 581](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=581))
- Conflict or complication: ([Location 582](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=582))
- Setting: ([Location 584](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=584))
- Plot: ([Location 585](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=585))
- Resolution: ([Location 586](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=586))
- You can’t tell a story without a character or characters. ([Location 591](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=591))
- You also don’t really have a story without conflict. ([Location 599](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=599))
- Setting is where the story takes place. ([Location 609](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=609))
- Not just the events that happened but why those events took place—the causality or consequences of the events—that’s the plot. ([Location 615](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=615))
- One problem that befalls beginning nonfiction writers is writing episodically. ([Location 651](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=651))
- dramatic plot must be “whole” and have a beginning, middle, and end. ([Location 655](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=655))
- “narrative arc,” ([Location 657](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=657))
- Inciting event: ([Location 662](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=662))
- Rising action: ([Location 663](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=663))
- Climax: ([Location 665](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=665))
- Denouement: ([Location 666](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=666))
- Resolution: ([Location 668](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=668))
- The best nonfiction writers have distinctive, personal voices. ([Location 751](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=751))
- One of the best ways to come up with ideas is to start with yourself and your interests. ([Location 763](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=763))
- Get in the habit of carrying around a notebook, a few index cards, your smartphone, or whatever works to record ideas for stories. ([Location 780](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=780))
- Keeping a notebook is one way to think like a writer. ([Location 787](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=787))
- Don’t feel you need to have an advanced degree in a subject to be an expert. ([Location 795](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=795))
- many writers who clip newspaper stories ([Location 826](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=826))
- the way savvy shoppers clip coupons: ([Location 826](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=826))
- You are writing for yourself,” ([Location 845](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=845))
- that place where your writing sounds most like you ([Location 855](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=855))
- When you’re writing a letter, especially to someone you know, you are writing closest to your own voice. ([Location 858](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=858))
- One of the delicious freedoms of nonfiction writing is that you get to speak from your own personal point of view. ([Location 864](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=864))
- Write as if no one will ever read it and be as emotional as you like. ([Location 872](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=872))
- who is telling the story? ([Location 880](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=880))
- Write for yourself and what you feel passionately about, not for what you think might sell. ([Location 945](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=945))
- you can’t make anything up in nonfiction. ([Location 959](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=959))
- without characters there is no plot. ([Location 977](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=977))
- What makes a character interesting or engaging? Conflict. ([Location 979](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=979))
- Flat characters are two-dimensional; they don’t develop or change during the course of the novel or story. ([Location 987](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=987))
- Round characters, on the other hand, do change; they’re lifelike. ([Location 988](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=988))
- Think about what you desire. ([Location 1022](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=1022))
- sitting down “at approximately the same time every day. ([Location 2110](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2110))
- successful writers set page limits and treat writing as a job where you show up to work whether you feel like it or not. ([Location 2121](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2121))
- every successful writer writes almost every day, whether it’s two pages or two paragraphs. ([Location 2135](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2135))
- whatever time of day and place you work, make sure you are consistent. ([Location 2145](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2145))
- Put this time in your calendar and keep the appointments with yourself. ([Location 2148](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2148))
- Do the most unpleasant task first. ([Location 2164](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2164))
- Change writing locations. ([Location 2167](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2167))
- focus not on the product— ([Location 2178](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2178))
- but the process of writing. ([Location 2178](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2178))
- “I hate writing. I love having written.” ([Location 2180](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2180))
- strategies to help get you unblocked. ([Location 2181](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2181))
- Start small. ([Location 2182](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2182))
- Start writing in the middle. ([Location 2185](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2185))
- “Anything worth doing is worth doing badly,” ([Location 2193](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2193))
- G. K. Chesterton. ([Location 2194](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2194))
- Understand why you want to write. ([Location 2197](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2197))
- your own voice admonishing you to give it up ([Location 2207](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2207))
- when you first start a piece, just let the creative part of your brain take over. ([Location 2214](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2214))
- “What’s it all about? What am I really trying to say?” ([Location 2235](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2235))
- leave the conversation with the other person wanting to come back for more. ([Location 2291](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2291))
- tips for writing satisfying conclusions: ([Location 2292](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2292))
- Circle back to your introduction ([Location 2293](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2293))
- memorable quote. ([Location 2294](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2294))
- Reflect ([Location 2295](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2295))
- new insight. ([Location 2296](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2296))
- Surprise the reader with humor, ([Location 2297](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2297))
- Find a writing routine that works for you and stick to it. ([Location 2326](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2326))
- writing is about transcribing the often convoluted process of thought, ([Location 2352](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2352))
- Personal essays, as the name implies, are about the writer. ([Location 2361](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2361))
- Write about something that is taboo to you personally. ([Location 2373](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2373))
- Personal essays are distinctive, and this is due mostly to the writer’s voice. ([Location 2390](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2390))
- you are diving deep into a subject rather than just telling a story chronologically. ([Location 2393](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2393))
- You don’t need literary flourishes in a personal essay, just honest thought. ([Location 2404](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2404))
- “How long is a piece of string?” ([Location 2619](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2619))
- the material will tell you how long it needs to be. ([Location 2620](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2620))
- Autobiography differs from memoir in that an autobiography is the story of your whole life rather than a window into a certain period in your life. ([Location 2690](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2690))
- book is merely made up of chapters and that those chapters are made up of shorter scenes and summaries, ([Location 2820](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2820))
- the book begins to take shape and seems real when I do a table of contents, ([Location 2830](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2830))
- Write a little every day, ([Location 2844](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2844))
- Start a book by outlining or creating a table of contents. ([Location 2846](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2846))
- Find an organizational structure ([Location 2847](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2847))
- books are nothing more than chapters ([Location 2848](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2848))
- take it a little at a time. ([Location 2850](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2850))
- crafting better sentences, ([Location 2864](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B009WWQJAC&location=2864))