{"id":95,"date":"2018-01-24T03:46:34","date_gmt":"2018-01-24T03:46:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dormitionpress.org\/?p=95"},"modified":"2018-01-24T03:46:34","modified_gmt":"2018-01-24T03:46:34","slug":"writing-a-non-fiction-book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dormitionpress.org\/?p=95","title":{"rendered":"Writing a Non-Fiction Book"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The<\/a>
The Pains of Composition
by
Leonid Osipovish Pasternak<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Don\u2019t let anyone kid you\u200a\u2014\u200awriting any book is hard work, but writing non-fiction can be harder. (Although not working in an iron foundry hard, so perhaps difficult would be a better word.) Most books, courses, and workshops on writing are geared towards fiction. I am unable to write fiction, and when I attend writer\u2019s workshops I feel like an orphan. The Creative Writing types seem to look down on non-fiction writers, as though it is a lesser, more formulaic type of writing, as though making a topic interesting for the reader doesn\u2019t require skill and creativity.<\/p>\n

Being a non-fiction writer can be quite rewarding. Not in a financial sense, although that is always part of the plan. But there is real satisfaction in exploring a topic, finding connections between seemingly disparate facts, and learning something new. The creative juices get flowing when the writer finds a new angle on the topic and puts a new spin on the presentation of the information.<\/p>\n

But first, where to begin? With a question that requires an answer. Sometimes you can formulate the question quite precisely, in which case an Internet query can provide the answer. But sometimes you are curious about a topic, and you don\u2019t know enough to ask the right question. That is where the research begins. You piece things together, following the trail of breadcrumbs from place to place. A search of the Internet can turn up a range of opinions and documents on various topics, so you\u2019ll want to explore alternate points of view. Avoid blog posts which are nothing more than personal opinion. Instead, look for someone with scholarly pretensions, someone who provides sourced quotes, someone who at least mentions alternative points of view and someone who cites their sources. Then, follow those sources. If you are using a journal article or a book, always check the footnotes, as they can lead you to interesting sources and provide fascinating detail. Primary (or original) source material is best, but is not always available, especially if it is in a foreign language or locked behind a paywall. In that case, you may have to use secondary source material, so try to use the best and most generally accepted source material available.<\/p>\n

I usually write several short papers to keep track of my research and collect my thoughts. Sometimes the writing begins with a passion and the pages seemingly write themselves. But most of the time writing is not about inspiration, but about pushing through the drudgery hoping for the next burst of inspiration. Sometimes the words will flow, but most of my time is spent wrestling the text into shape. After some time I get a sense of where the research is heading, and sometimes is going in an unexpected direction\u200a\u2014\u200awhich is a good thing. This tells me my thinking is no longer bound by my preconceived notions. When I am willing to examine and possibly even accept alternate points of view, I am intellectually invigorated. When a new interpretation of the facts provides a fuller explanation, and when I can accept that with an open mind, I\u2019m am altering my mental framework, something necessary to get a new angle on the subject.<\/p>\n

If you chose to follow this process, eventually you will have done enough research to get a handle on the topic and begin refining the research question. At this point you likely have done enough work to produce an outline and should begin plugging your research under the appropriate headings. Once you\u2019ve done that, you\u2019ll have an idea of where the holes are in your research, and you\u2019ll have a pretty good idea of the work remaining.<\/p>\n

I have found I can do forty pages without too much trouble, but getting over that can be a problem. For my first book, I ended up dividing the book into multiple parts and worked on each of them individually. This worked for a while until I began having some overlap between the writing. I found I had begun going over the same topics again, addressing them in a different context. That is when I began to make some hard decisions when I really began to wrestle with the text.<\/p>\n

Any number of book reviews will complain about a book being repetitious. This can be true, but I\u2019ve also noticed that books can suffer by avoiding a previously mentioned topic. Just because a topic has been mentioned in one context doesn\u2019t mean the topic isn\u2019t germane in a new context. In my opinion, readers don\u2019t want to have to flip back several chapters to figure out what you are talking about. To me, a degree of repetition is respectful of the reader. On the other hand, simple repetition is a sign of a sloppy mind. When I find I\u2019m just repeating myself to no good purpose, one of the passages has to go.<\/p>\n

One of the hardest things about writing is eliminating your own writing. It\u2019s a Sophie\u2019s Choice, which is why writers call it \u201ckilling your children\u201d. It\u2019s always a judgment call, and a writer is not always the best judge of their own work. This is where an editor is helpful. Give your text to someone and listen to their feedback. Don\u2019t argue with them, or you won\u2019t get honest criticism. If they are your intended audience and they don\u2019t understand something, you need to simplify and clarify your writing. If the subject has its own jargon, you might need to explain what the words mean. Sometimes this can be done inline, and sometimes in a footnote. Although a glossary is often necessary, be respectful of your reader and define your terms as you use them. (Someone complained about all the big words in my first book and suggested the addition of a glossary. I\u2019m working on that for the next edition.)<\/p>\n

Simplify, simplify, simplify. Less is more. Avoid adverbs as much as possible. Don\u2019t begin or end sentences with prepositions. All such maxims are good advice and should be kept in mind. But they don\u2019t always apply. I like complex sentences, full of parenthetical detail and such. It\u2019s the way I talk, and the way I think. I will try to edit these into simple, terse sentences, but sometimes it isn\u2019t possible without doing damage to the sense of the text, without losing it\u2019s meaning, and without destroying the rhythm. Good prose writing has a structure, a rhythm, a beat. Sometimes a big word is better than a short one at expressing your point, and sometimes it just fits the structure of the sentence. Other times it is just pretentious. Use your judgment, but follow the advice of your readers and editors as much as possible.<\/p>\n

Another source of drudgery is the formatting of your book. So many decisions to make.<\/p>\n