Ad
related to: How should a historical nonfiction book be written?Get Our Free Guide To Self Publishing. Learn How To Publish Your Book Writing Project. Get Tellwell's Free Guide to Book Writing And Publishing
- Publishing Packages
Find Out What You Need to Know.
Start Your Publishing Journey ...
- Create A Kids Book
Work with professionals. Keep all
royalties.
- Self Publishing Company
Our Team Can Help You Publish Your
Book. Offering Marketing,...
- Self-Publish a Kids Book
Find an illustrator, editor,
marketer. Full-service.
- Publishing Packages
Search results
- Do your research. The first rule of writing about real events from history is to do your research. Nonfiction authors (and historical fiction writers, for that matter) need to spend a large amount of time making sure that the real-life stories they are telling are accurate and factual.
- Choose a point of view. It’s important to choose a perspective for your book. This doesn’t mean you have to write in first person from a specific person’s point of view (though that is always an option, especially in the creative nonfiction genre) but it can help you focus and narrow the scope of your book.
- Outline a narrative arc. As with writing fiction, it’s important to have a detailed outline of your story and overall arc before you dive into the creative writing process.
- Focus on compelling famous characters. If you’ve got your sights set on writing a New York Times bestseller, it’s worth researching some popular figures from history.
- Research, research, research. This principle applies to all types of books, but conducting research for historical nonfiction can be particularly challenging.
- Fact check. Every detail you include in your book should be precise and true. Make sure they are verifiable by multiple, credible sources. While some speculation may be necessary, aim to minimize it and fill in any gaps in knowledge as much as you can.
- Utilize a narrative structure. Viewing your chosen topic as a story provides you with a clear direction, which is particularly valuable when writing a historical memoir or autobiography.
- Stay true to the facts. While it is important to tell a compelling story, staying true to the facts is equally important. Avoid embellishments. Present your story accurately and objectively.
- Make It Relevant to Keep The Reader Interested
- Immerse Yourself in Your Era
- Write Clearly and Research Meticulously
- Understand Your Reader and Write For Them
- Be Passionate About Your Topic, and Plan Ahead
- Research Deeply, Write Clearly
• John Barton (A History of the Bible: The Book and Its Faiths, Allen Lane): It is essential to capture the interest of the reader, preferably with a reference to contemporary issues or with the presentation of some person or incident that can lead into a wider discussion. 'Where (as in my own case) the research is based on already-published materi...
• Marion Turner (Chaucer: A European Life, Princeton University Press):I think you need to immerse yourself in your chosen era to write a powerful historical book, fictional or non-fictional. I found "footstepping" – following the traces and journeys of my subject – to be immensely helpful. I followed Chaucer to a small town in Navarre, for instanc...
• David Abulafia (The Boundless Sea: A Human History of the Oceans, Allen Lane):There are three fundamental rules, I think: 1. Write clearly and fluently, avoiding jargon, trying to keep sentences elegant and balanced, so that the words carry the reader along from sentence to sentence. 2. In a subject such as history, try to stimulate the imaginati...
• Hallie Rubenhold (The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper, Penguin Books): First it's important to recognise that there are many types of historical non-fiction for a number of different readers. Academic non-fiction will vary in tone and appeal from narrative non-fiction. It's important to first decide what sort of book...
• Toby Green, A Fistful of Shells: West Africa from the Rise of the Slave Trade to the Age of Revolution (Allen Lane): Choose a topic which you are passionate and care about, not just one which you think will be easy to pitch. You then have to become something of an obsessive, tracking down every piece of relevant information and background that yo...
• Prashant Kidambi, Cricket Country: An Indian Odyssey in the Age of Empire(Oxford University Press): Good historical non-fiction is a combination of deep research and accessible writing. 1) There are no shortcuts to deep primary research. Cast your net wide and look for a variety of sources: printed and unpublished material located in institutiona...
Jun 20, 2017 · Writing historical nonfiction step 1: research, research, research. To be a credible historical nonfiction author, you absolutely must do your homework. If you details wrong, you’ll undo every good thing your book accomplishes.
Set a goal for completion. Many authors find it helpful to set a realistic target date for publishing the book, and a target date for completing the manuscript (several months before the book is published). If you need help with accountability, enlist a friend or coach to help you reach your goals.
- 1MB
- 15
To learn how to write a nonfiction book, use this format: Mind map your chapter —10 minutes; Outline/chapter subheadings—10 minutes; Research [keep it light]—20 Minutes; Write content—90 minutes
People also ask
What makes a good historical non-fiction?
How to write a nonfiction book?
How do you write a nonfiction book about a historical event?
How long does it take to write a nonfiction book?
What is the purpose of a nonfiction book?
What is a nonfiction book based on?
Aug 9, 2021 · How to Write a Nonfiction Book in 8 Steps. Writing about others is no trivial act. It’s not merely entertainment or a distraction. When readers and nonfiction writers turn to factual topics, they are in search of something powerful and fundamental about what it means to be a better person. Writing about others is no trivial act.
Ad
related to: How should a historical nonfiction book be written?Get Our Free Guide To Self Publishing. Learn How To Publish Your Book Writing Project. Get Tellwell's Free Guide to Book Writing And Publishing