Archive for the Writing Nonfiction Category
Show, Don’t Tell
What is the difference between “active” and “passive” writing and how can it make your non-fiction articles and books come alive? Read the rest of this entry »
Start with a Story
How To Write An Article or Non-Fiction Book That Will Sell
How to write a strong opening
Let’s say George is a science writer who has been contracted to do an exclusive article for a popular magazine with a readership in the millions. It will be a great credit for him, and he’s being paid a good deal of money to do it. He has an abundance of statistics and scientific facts and analysis to put in his article, but he’s never before written for a large general audience. He’s worried that his editor and his readers will find his information dull and boring. He can’t seem to get started with the writing, and his deadline is looming. Read the rest of this entry »
Writing for the Web
How to write a blog or an article; a practical guide to web writing.
A publishing professional tells you about the differences between writing print articles or books and writing for a web site.
The Internet is the largest market for your freelance writing, with your potential readership surpassing that of any of the print media. As a bonus, your words will probably exist in cyberspace forever. Read the rest of this entry »
What do you really want to write?
We get many queries about topics that truly interest us, and that we feel would stand a good chance in the marketplace because the information is needed and it would be useful to many people. Yet when we read the material, we are disappointed.
Why?
Because the content goes in an entirely different direction than the author’s description. Read the rest of this entry »
Why Alice Sebold Wrote Nonfiction
When Alice Sebold began writing her bestselling novel, The Lovely Bones, the first chapter came to her quickly. It was the story of a 14-year-old girl’s rape and murder.
Yet, memories of her own real-life rape kept interfering with her work. Read the rest of this entry »