Narrative non-fiction writers

[WriteOnAndOn]

I spent my career in the dry world of B2B journalism. Now I've taken early retirement, I'm trying to write literary non-fiction. My ideas are rooted in family history research, through which I've stumbled on some interesting stories. However, I feel I'm dry and factual - competently written, but lacking a literary sparkle. I'm reading more fiction, but is it even possible to ignite my creativity? 😀

Are there any other narrative non-fiction writers here to spur me on? Can you recommend any books on writing non-fiction?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Storycraft-Second-Narrative-Nonfiction-Publishing/dp/022673692X/ref=sr_1_1

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Writing-Creative-Nonfiction-Techniques-Crafting/dp/1580082297

I’m not going to claim I’ve read these cover to cover but every time I’ve dipped into them I’ve been impressed with them - the authors, to me, executed their job well and produced books with a real sense of purpose and focus on exactly what you are concerned about - how to serve up some dry facts with an appetising dressing. Both are American authors but don’t let that put you off - thankfully neither are shot through with baseball analogies. If you went off the reviews the first, Jack Hart, book would probably be the one most would go for although I quite enjoy all the examples in the second, Theodore Cheney, book (Joan Didion, Hemingway) - some reviews are negative about this aspect but I really appreciated it - both use plenty of examples to be fair.

I also started thinking about a way of bringing all my family history research into one place - I have never been interested in it until I had to clear my aunts house after her death - she never married and had no children but I discovered a couple of huge trunks and suitcases in the loft containing no end of birth, marriage and death certificates, photographs, letters and postcards - looking through them trying to make sense of all the names and photographs uncovered a lot of revelations - my mother’s mother had been given away from one sister to another when she was six years old - she was the third eldest and had three brothers. The other sister could not have children and was lonely after an acrimonious divorce from an alcoholic husband… I scanned in a couple of hundred photos and documents - it will probably end up as a website/blog.

I switched from the idea of writing about that to about caring for my DD who was swept into the vortex of anorexia but it’s such an emotive topic that a lot of my writing about it came out in songs and diary entry style poetry - they felt like better formats than prose to express things so I’m taking a fairly unusual approach to writing about that - a mix of prose, medical research and more figurative language - no one I’ve talked to supports my idea: they are probably right.

HTH

Thank you for your reply. I've ordered Jack Hart's book, as it looks like just what I need!

Your family history would make a really interesting blog, particularly as many family members and future descendants would have no idea of the story otherwise. My adult DC are way too young to be interested in all my research. I think they're waiting until middle age, by which time I'll probably be dead!

Caring for your DD must have taken a huge emotional toll. I've always liked books where you can dip in and out, a little like the late Reader's Digest monthly magazine, with factual articles, helpful advice and inspiration. That could suit a website/blog, but of course it's a difficult balance exposing so much of yourself on the internet, when it's something so personal.

The Cheney book is still well worth a look IMHO. Try eBay my copy is from 2001 I’m sure it was less than £10.