Nonfiction: From Imagination to Reality
By Julia Temlyn, Editor-in-chief
When I was in college I took a class entitled “Advanced Expository Writing,” which was geared toward writing advanced expository pieces, or more simply put, essays. I was not very thrilled at the thought of this concept; I wanted to take another semester of creative writing where I could write poetry and short stories–the fun stuff! The course called for several essays to be written in various styles, including personal and research, though the research pieces were more like magazine articles in how they turned out. Our textbook was a book of essays written by all sorts of people–celebrities, humanitarians, political figures. Our professor favored the poetically-written prose by Annie Dillard. I was pleasantly surprised by Ms. Dillard’s writing style, as I would not have considered much of her writing to be considered essays. Toward the end of the semester the class was instructed to write a brief essay concerning how we each felt about the class in general. This is how I felt as I completed this life-changing course in one of the best writing classes I have ever taken.
I don’t know if these are typical stereotypes, but when I was growing up my idea of essays consisted of lots of research and facts; my idea of nonfiction consisted of those books you see in elementary school, with titles such as these: “What I Want to Be When I Grow Up,” or “All About Snakes.” Biographies were also included in this view of mine. Don’t get me wrong–I didn’t necessarily consider any of those varieties of books to be “boring.” In fact, in the third grade I was intrigued with Rachel Carson and her crusade against pesticides and DDT, and I loved to read about Louis Pasteur and his discovery of the rabies vaccine, as well as the invention of pasteurized milk. If not for those slight interjections about numbers and dates, these informative books almost read like stories.
Still, I preferred fiction. Within fictional stories I could travel to far off or imaginary places; my imagination could roam free, exploring new worlds through exciting words! I thought nonfiction could be interesting, but never story-like, kind of similar to the general public’s view of Disney’s EPCOT Center being strictly educational, and not entertaining. Was I ever wrong!
I discovered just how narrow my view was when I saw a story being shaped as I wrote my second personal essay of the semester. It was a difficult piece that I had attempted to write earlier in the semester, but could not find the courage to complete at that time. As my courage grew I wrote this apparently spellbinding (as people have told me) account of a painful experience in my life. However, rather than writing from an informative view, this story became personal, and almost read like a fictional account in its story-like properties. My professor was insistent on having his students write something like Annie Dillard–he entreated us, even challenged us, to write just one sentence as descriptive and capturing as hers. My story, though absolutely true in all accounts, read just as interesting as fiction because of the style that I wrote it in. I learned that in nonfiction there are so many styles of writing, from informative, to biographical, to personal. In fact, many of the pieces that you might find in a book like Chicken Soup for the Soul are nonfiction, and can be just as enjoyable and gripping to read as a fictional story.
Nonfiction allows the reader to see how dreams can become real, how the stories that have been lived and written down by others can be either attained or avoided by us as readers. By reading Rachel Carson’s or Louis Pasteur’s stories we too can see how they changed lives, and seek to help others through their inspiration. Likewise, we can try to avoid the disappointments and tragedies faced and written by others who’ve shared their painful stories of abuse or drug addiction, and the like.
Fiction and nonfiction each have a significant impact on us as we read and mature. Fiction can change us on a level which can increase our imaginations, helping to form our dreams as we forge ahead in the crazy world we live in. Nonfiction can further the cause of those dreams, utilizing the imagination to show us how we really can make a difference in the world.
So, the next time that you are at a loss for a storyline for your next novel or short story try writing about something real, something true, and see what comes of it. You may even be able to take that nonfiction piece and twist it just enough to create a work of fiction, loosely based on real events. You may be pleasantly surprised by the outcome, as I was.
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Julia is the owner of Temlyn Writing: freelance writing & editing services, where she works diligently with clients to rescue excess apostrophes, save spliced commas, and repair injured & abused words.
In addition to Writers Remember, she is also the editor of Musical Reviewer (formerly All About Musicals) and administrator of the Houston Writers & Editors Network. She blogs at Mrs. Write Right, Word Therapist.
Julia resides outside Houston, Texas, with her amazing husband and their two goofy cats. When time and finances allow, she enjoys visiting her family in Florida and New York (both of which she grew up in). Her hobbies and enjoyable activities include singing, seeing Broadway musicals, reading, geocaching, scrapbooking, drinking tea, watching movies, and spending time with her husband and family & friends.
