How non-fiction informs fiction writing
Our brains all work differently. Personally, I can absorb a lot of information but the order of that information can easily be confused. I know a lot of historical facts but the chronology of events becomes confused, at times, as my brain focuses on the specificities of situations told in story form. These are the building blocks for good fiction writing.
The more we read, the more life we live, then the greater the creative output we will have. All of life informs our writing. We consume data constantly, whether consciously or unconsciously, and that data is filtered through our beliefs, convictions, and preferences.
Do you ever find yourself sitting in a room, whether a coffee shop or in a store, just listening to the people around you? I do. I find people to be alternately intriguing, annoying, infuriating, motivated, lazy, kind, and rude. And as I listen and observe, real life informs the characters I create in my fiction stories. Observation helps us to create characters that are not carbon copies of one another, but rather are uniquely suited to add interest to their story environment.
Admittedly, I have even based a few characters on close friends of mine and family members. The real people inspire memorable fiction characters.
I once heard a preacher say that fiction is truer than non-fiction. It seemed a strange assertion, yet it holds great merit. What is truer than Pilgrim’s Progress, Hinds Feet On High Places, or Ben-Hur? In fiction, every evil deed can be brought to light, and every good thing can be revealed in fuller glory than we typically see in real life.
In my recent book The Soul of Story I did touch on this subject, but it was not the focus of the narrative. I think that fiction is an incredibly powerful tool, which can effect real change in the hearts of men and women. It can inspire us to highlight our best tendencies and reject our worst impulses, becoming the heroes and heroines this world needs, serving God and serving others.
Non-fiction is invaluable as a research and inspirational tool to the fiction writer. The old saying is true: “Truth is stranger than fiction.” That being the case, let’s look to real events to invent originality in our fiction stories.
Q: How does non-fiction inspire your creative storytelling?
My studies of history and the Bible have given me a great deal of material for my writing. I am able to create detailed worlds with complex histories and cultures. This has led to some excellent world building. I have also been able to weave Biblical principles into my writing to create stories of hope and redemption. My life as a middle school teacher, reading teaching philosophy and theory and my experiences with students, have enabled me to create complex characters who are able to completely rationalize their destructive choices. Students have inadvertently revealed some of my own less than intelligent reasons for things I do and I put that into my writing as well. Human nature has not changed and there is nothing new. Things cycle around, just in a slightly different form. Therefore, a writer who is well read will be able to critically analyze what is occuring in the world around them, see the patterns, and have material for their own writing.