Non-Fiction Writing: It's Pretty Important

Non-Fiction Writing: It's Pretty Important

Non-fiction writing may not be a thrill ride like The Da Vinci Code or a Stephen King novel, but it moves us forward intellectually. The newspaper is a type of non-fiction writing that informs readers about a variety of topics. It’s not supposed to be entertaining, but it can be, because good writers engage their audiences and make them want more. Investigative journalism fascinates people, because it reads like fiction yet tells real stories. Opinion articles represent writers’ thoughts on real world issues, and a well-written op-ed can often lead to compelling debates. Historical texts give us a look back at those who came before us, and scholars interpret history in many different ways. All these genres are connected by being truthful (though oftentimes biased), but they all tell different stories and take different shapes. Works from all these mediums contain intrigue, versatility, and societal significance. Good non-fiction writing is informative and brings us forward as a society, but also engages readers and makes them want more.

From analytical pieces to news reports about the economy and politics, non-fiction writing is truly essential. Many non-fiction pieces are based off of a claim. If a claim is debatable, it’s a good claim: if not, you gotta go back to the drawing board. Writing that “Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Black Cat” and Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” have a connection, (because) both are about death and the person who is responsible not understanding their own actions (Barnett, “AmLit Songs”), is a debatable claim. History and scholars’ claims about history are always being debated; historians spend their lives developing opinions on time periods and educating others about them. History is essential because “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” A discussion of debatable works also gives people new perspectives. When debaters include personal experiences in their arguments, people learn more about the lives of others and become more understanding--all of this drives us forward. Non-fiction is informative, it teaches us about what we do not know, and keeps us updated on what’s going on.

Non-fiction writings’ importance is clear, but people underestimate how engaging it can be. Books like Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner’s Freakonomics and Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers are non-fictional, but they are engaging because they look at economics in a new way. The book includes chapter names such as “what do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common?” (Freakonomics) and “Rice paddies and math tests” (Outliers). These books became famous because they bring something new to the table and are unique. The first paragraph discussed how important nonfiction writing is in educating society, and ideas like the ones in Freakonomics and Outliers do just that. Every author has a platform, and if they can engage people with their writing, their opinions or theories will be discussed. Non-fiction writers do not need to create Hogwarts when they write, but they, like Malcolm Gladwell and Steven Levitt, need to be inventive and original in their ideas. Their voice and tone must be unique or else no one will be interested in their writing. A well-written article accomplishes this and makes the reader want to further explore the topic after they are done reading.

Steven Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner, authors of Freakonomics https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/stephen-dubner-and-steven-levitt-we-love-your-mr-cameron-hes-a-monster-freak-5hfvnbcjcck  

Every time you read quality writing, you’re getting smarter. The advances we have made in science and technology all started with someone reading about their time’s improvements and deciding they could make something better than that. People who change the world are often informed, they know about what’s going on so they know what they want to change. All of this begins with reading non-fiction writing. Not everyone can be Elon Musk or Bill Gates, but if you dedicate yourself to growing intellectually and teach others, the world will become a better place. Every well regarded non-fiction piece is different, and you learn new things or see ideas from a different angle each time you read something new, that’s the beauty of it.

Bill Gates: Big time non-fiction reader
https://twitter.com/billgates