4 Tips to Help Writers Make Nonfiction Engaging

by Cindy K. Sproles @CindyDevoted

Let's face it. Non-fiction can become like a dry cracker. Once you chew it, it sticks to your throat. 

Experienced non-fiction writers will tell you that making their writing engaging takes work. They've learned over the years as they've honed their craft that, just as in fiction, non-fiction readers demand more.

Like any work we write, staying on top of what readers like is essential. Time to read is a pressing issue in our world today. Since the major buyers of books are women, we are looking at moms who are squeezing their daily work into an already busy schedule. When do they read? 

What I'm about to share is not an industry standard. It's simply years of observation and discussion with readers. I have discovered these things have helped my writing excel with readers.

My husband and I made a few trips to the local bookstore to people-watch readers. Here's what I found true with 90% of the 100 readers we observed and logged.

• The cover draws a reader in. They pick the book up and flip it over.
• They read the back text (so you should make that back text engaging).
• Next, they turn to chapter one and skim through the first page.
• Then, they begin to count pages. 

Yes, they count pages. I didn't understand this until I finally began to walk up to individual readers and tell them about my research. I asked why do you count pages? The answer from almost every reader was they wanted to know how long the chapters were. When I asked why, the response was simple. "I have thirty minutes in the school pick-up line. I need to be able to read a chapter in about thirty minutes."

It was mind-blowing that readers were physically counting pages to see if the chapters could be completed in the short period they allowed for reading. Of course, all the readers weren't moms, but the answer stayed pretty much the same. It was a fifteen-minute coffee break at work or time between appointments. The point is that readers pay attention to how much time they have to read and digest a chapter, be it fiction or non-fiction. They didn't seem to care if there were forty chapters, just that they could read through them quickly. 

I have since begun to share with readers the importance of shorter chapters. Our non-fiction books tend to have longer chapters. Longer isn't necessarily a bad thing because, in this area of writing, authors are sharing information. However, it is important to take heed of reader trends. Breaking chapters into smaller bites is more enticing to those busy folks who buy the bulk of our books. From my research, I recommend that non-fiction chapters run no more than 2200 words. This will translate to six to nine pages in a 9x6 book, depending on spacing, dialogue, charts, etc. 

All this plays a part in the mental "view" of the book and the time allotted. The point is, with the 100 readers we talked with, if a chapter is over nine pages, it starts to "look" like they cannot read it in a thirty-minute time frame. White space plays a big part in how long a chapter "looks." If there is a lot of white space (for instance, there are sections that are bullet-pointed or holding charts and graphs), readers are more forgiving and willing to press through longer chapters. But if those pages are strictly text, hitting that eight-to-nine-page count starts to push the reader away. 

Again, I stress this is NOT industry standard. It is personal research and the facts I have found after talking to 100 readers in a bookstore. Throughout the years, this has proven true for me in my writing. 

Here are 4 Tips to Help Your Nonfiction Work Read Well

• 1. Add emotion: Emotion is not just for fiction. When we write books filled with important information, learning to find stories or using personal experiences will add emotion. Look for words that move away from the usual blah and add interest and feeling instead. Including these emotional additives intentionally in your book allows the reader to connect to you and the information you are trying to convey.

• 2. Remember to keep your writing on an understandable level: Many times, we see information become top-heavy. In other words, the information is important but difficult to process. When you find chunks like this in your work, break them apart. It's important to remember your reader may not know technical terms, so when you address a special education term, for example, Individual Educational Plan or IEP, don't assume your readers understand or even know what that means. Take a line or two and explain that an IEP, or Individual Educational Plan, is a written and detailed plan used by teachers to teach and address your child's specific needs. When we do this, we keep our readers from scratching their heads. Instead, they walk away understanding an IEP and feel empowered because now they know.

• 3. Humor is not a bad thing: Sometimes, when topics are challenging, inserting a touch of humor to lighten the moment helps your reader take a breath. A dab of humor helps those who face rough times see that even when topics are tough, laughter can help them see a moment of relief. Remember Mary Poppins when she sang just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down? Truer words couldn't have been spoken or sung. Humor breaks the tension and allows the reader to relax—even if it's just for a moment. Humor ignites hope, so don't be afraid to insert a smile for the reader.

• 4. Write conversationally: One thing that stiffens non-fiction is prim and proper language. Grant you, there are textbooks, and then there are Christian Living books. Textbooks will be more proper (for lack of better words). Still, a good Christian Living book, where you are walking a reader through topics when you can help them problem solve or find refuge and hope, is more relatable when they're written conversationally. Readers connect to the author and feel their emotions, sympathy, and hope. Teach with strength, but write with emotions. A conversational writing style will move mountains for the readers. 

These are just a few things to help your non-fiction writing move from dry to relatable. Practice. Study how others write their non-fiction, and then find the style that helps you most.

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4 Tips to Help Writers Make Nonfiction Engaging from @CindyDevoted on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Cindy K. Sproles is an author, speaker, and conference teacher. Having served for a number of years as a managing editor for Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas and Ironstream Media, Cindy now works as a mentor, coach, and freelance editor. She is the co-founder of Writing Right Author Mentoring Services with Lori Marett and she is the director of the Asheville Christian Writers Conference. Cindy is also the co-founder of Christian Devotions Ministries and WWW.CHRISTIANDEVOTIONS.US, as well as WWW.INSPIREAFIRE.COM. Her devotions are in newspapers and magazines nationwide, and her novels have become award-winning best-selling works. She is a popular speaker at conferences and a natural encourager. Cindy is a mountain girl, born and raised in the Appalachian mountains, where she and her husband still reside. She has raised four sons and now resorts to raising chickens where the pecking order is easier to manage. You can visit Cindy at WWW.CINDYSPROLES.COM or www.wramsforwriters.com.