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7 Steps to Write Non-Fiction

Rob

Many writers enjoy writing fiction because they get to create from their imagination however; non-fiction is where the information is. In these days of the information age, people absorb non-fiction. Many writers struggle to write non-fiction. Non-fiction can cover everything from a book to articles, digital products, videos and even blog posts. There are a more non-fiction works on the Internet than there are of fiction. Here are a number of steps that can point you in the correct direction and get you started creating a non-fiction piece of work.

  1. Start by creating an outline – An outline will give you structure and keep you on task. It will also help to keep you from repeating yourself. Outlines can also be a great way to think and organize your thoughts. It will also allow you to see the structure of your book before writing it.
  2. Break it into threes – Take a look at your subject and break it into 3 main parts, these will be your sections. Continue think of each part and break each one to at least 3 pieces. You can choose more if need be but, 3 is optimal. This will keep you from being overwhelmed
  3. Fill in the blanks – As your outline takes shape, you will begin to see some holes. You will need to fill in the blanks. You can save some of it for later, the nice thing about an outline, is that you don’t have to work on everything in order. As you continue to fill in different parts, you will find something to add in another section, this is how you want to work with an outline.
  4. Tell stories – Stories are wonderful! They capture people’s attention and draw them in. I mean, who doesn’t like a good story? But stories do other things too. Stories add substance to your book; they can also explain difficult or complex issues and put it into a way that people can understand. Stories illustrate what we have been trying to say.
  5. Use pictures and diagrams – Adding visuals can also help illustrate our points. They can take complex issues and break them down into a simple chart or infographic that people can relate to. A drawing or a picture can get across to your reader what words cannot.
  6. Research – Absorb everything you can, enjoy it; you are writing a book after all. Look for new and unique angles. Find the direction that new information is headed. Make sure to cite your information and to verify the information you have. Whatever you do, don’t make things up, you WILL be found out.
  7. Start writing – you won’t write a book until you start putting it together and writing it. Don’t worry about it being perfect, it won’t be, that’s why they call it a first draft. Just get it down on paper.

Writing non-fiction doesn’t have to be hard and you can use these few steps to create almost any type of non-fiction work.

So what steps would you include in writing non-fiction?

7 Ways to Discover the Problems Your Audience is Facing.

Rob

　　The key to being successful is to discover the problems people are having and provide unique solutions for those problems. But that brings up the question of how can I find out what problems my readers are having? It’s not like they come to you like you are a Psychologist and they are having therapy sessions. So here are several keys to discovering what those problems are, so you can help to provide solutions.
Listen to what your Audience is Saying – Readers will often make comments, both on topic and off topic, listen to what they are saying or asking and begin thinking about it. You can even use their question as a jumping off point for a new blog post to see if others feel the same way.

  1. Write a Blog Post – talk about a subject that a reader brought up, you don’t have to mention that they brought it up, What you are doing is judging to see if there is any interest or issues in this subject area. If so, look for the solution, you can do this by tailoring your questions to discover the solution.
    Ask Questions – One of the best ways to discover problems is to ask questions. You can do this at the end of your blog post by adding an open-ended question. This will encourage responses from readers and offer fresh ideas to provide solutions for.
  2. Run a Survey – Surveys are another way of asking questions. If you form your questions correctly and create a series of them, you can get a good snapshot of your readers and what their needs are. Survey Monkey is one of the best resources out there for creating surveys.
  3. Write a Controversial Blog Post – Don’t worry about offending anyone, this will probably happen whether or not what you write is controversial. When your blog post is controversial, you stimulate conversation and comments. Along with that, your content gets shared.
  4. Get Engaged in Conversations – You want to be active in the comments on your blog and others that you visit. By being engaged, you take part and create conversation. You can also direct the conversation and ask other questions to clarify things.
  5. Get Engaged in Social Media – Social media is a great place to discover problems that a group of people are having and to engage them in conversation. You also get almost immediate response to your questions which allows you to create on the spot.

BONUS!
Read Blog Posts on Other Sites – See what they are talking about and engage in the conversation there. You can also discover what they are writing about and cover what other bloggers are not.
　　Following these steps, you can discover the issues that your audience is facing and engage them in conversation while developing a solution to help solve their needs. In doing so, you can develop a strong brand and a loyal following.
　　

So what methods do you have for discovering the problems your audience is facing?