NONFICTION AND FICTION (NOT 'VS')

I love reading and writing fiction, I love reading and writing nonfiction – as do many of my fellow INK bloggers.

So Rosalyn Schanzer’s blog earlier this month (April 6) on fiction vs. nonfiction got me thinking. I don’t mean to argue with Ros – I agree with everything she said about nonfiction. I guess I just squirm a bit at the “vs” in her title.

The Case for Fiction

Ros and I both write historical fiction and all the delights she described for nonfiction apply. (I expect she would agree.) My first novel, about Elizabethan London, is coming out next year, and I had a glorious time traveling, meeting people, discovering stories, and learning new things – all her nonfiction perks. I’ve got a contemporary novel in-progress and I’ve done all those things for that too.

All my published fiction has been based on actual historical events around which I build a story. In a way, it’s the best of both worlds – I can fill in the gaps and elucidate the history by creating extra characters and scenes, but I can also lean on history to help me construct the plot. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. (Few things about writing are easy.)

Complaints, Complaints

When I get stuck writing fiction I often complain (to myself) that nonfiction is a whole lot easier, because I know what happens all along the way. When I get stuck writing nonfiction I often complain (to myself) that it’s so much harder relying only on historical evidence – or the lack thereof – and if only I could make it all up! However, after I finish ranting (to myself,) I admit that each genre offers an equal number of challenges – and rewards.

What I Like Best About Each Genre That The Other Doesn’t Offer

Fiction: I love creating dialogue, letting my characters talk it out, joke, complain, argue, and reveal themselves through their conversations.

Nonfiction: I love digging through my heaps of research and turgid first draft to discover the theme of a biography or general nonfiction topic, all the while staying within bounds of the evidence.

As I think about it, writing both fiction and nonfiction probably increases my facility in each genre. Because I write fiction, I find it a bit easier bringing historical figures to life and constructing a narrative arc to tell a nonfiction story. Because I write nonfiction, I know how to ferret out the details of period and setting to enrich my fictional world.

I’ve heard industry folks say that it’s not a smart career move to wander back and forth through the genres – not to mention age levels – because they can’t “place” you in the market. But it’s a habit I’m not about to break. I’ve having too much fun.