Can Nonfiction Compete with Fiction?
After Last Week’s Discussion of Creative Writing, Let’s Consider Its Counterpart: Analytic Writing
I need a new name. Not for me: “Domenic” or “Dom” is fine. I need to find a term that describes the kind of nonfiction writing I enjoy reading and hearing.
What’s wrong with “nonfiction”? Most glaringly, it’s a negative. The word only tells you what it’s not.
I want something that conveys a positive essence of what good nonfiction should be, the way “creative writing” does for novels, poetry, short stories, stage performances, screenplays, and even lyrical music.
The best I can muster is “analytic writing.”
I admit, it’s not very creative, heh. But it does imply that the subject matter already exists independently of the writer, whose job is to understand it and communicate what is observed (bonus points if the writer can offer logical insights!).
Let’s use that term for now — I’m open to a better one, if anyone would like to offer — and look at what kinds of material draws my attention and why.
Narrative and descriptions still matter
Analytic writing isn’t confined to a litany of static facts.
Human life is active. An important part of grappling with the world is identifying persons and other components of the natural world engaged in processes of being and becoming, integrating and disintegrating, acting and reacting.
Sure enough, the long-form content I enjoy has narrative structure.
Some nonfiction, analytic-writing books I’ve read over the past couple of years:
The Anarchist Handbook, organized by Michael Malice — A survey of contra-State development in public, Western discourse through the past two-plus centuries gives this collection of commentaries a meta-narrative. The essayists I most remember — Emma Goldman and John Hasnas — presented criticism of real events and figures from history. Hasnas did a bit of creative writing in his long chapter, too, but his “fictional” scenarios served as lead-ins to real case law.
That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore: On the Death and Rebirth of Comedy, by Lou Perez — Stand-up comedian and comic actor Perez tells plenty of personal stories from his career (and pre-career) as a public humorist. Describing events that illustrate his personal and professional experience, was far more interesting than merely giving his opinions. And, yes, the book has plenty of funny parts! Perez posts multimedia content on his Substack.
A Hunter-Gatherer's Guide to the 21st Century: Evolution and the Challenges of Modern Life, by Heather E. Heying & Bret Weinstein — The wife-and-husband team of ex-professor, evolutionary biologists do a wonderful job of explaining a challenging, broad-based subject. This book was written mere months before the #COVIDHoax blew up, and considering how skeptical each author has been of the fascist, anti-science tactics of “public health” over the past four-plus years, I wonder if they’d revise the book’s pro-technocracy messages for future editions. Heying is also a Substack writer.
Podcasts, short-form writing, the Bible, & more
My tastes in long-form, written content carry over into other media.
Like many people, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the emergence of lengthy conversations on the internet. If you had told me 15 years ago that I’d want to eavesdrop on a couple of people talking to each other for hours, I probably would’ve scoffed at the suggestion. But I enjoy many such podcasts! And I’ve even had opportunities to appear on several:
Good dialogue is a narrative structure in and of itself, as the parties involved build on each other’s contributions. I like these more than monologue podcasts, and the few solo shows I do find interesting feature skilled storytellers.
Another large chunk of my voluntary media consumption is short-form reading of news and news-related essays. I like to curate my own sources — pull media, rather than push media — including many fellow Substack publishers!
And as a critically exploring Christian, I have a deep love for the canonical Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John from the Bible’s New Testament). These aren’t dry philosophy/theology tomes. They recount events and encounters from the life of Jesus. My own book, Good Neighbor, Bad Citizen, is steeped in this historical context and culture, and owes all of its narrative content to the people, places, things, and events already present in recorded history and oral tradition.
Indeed, the narrative structure of the Gospels is essential to why they’re in the Bible. There were other writings about Jesus attributed to the Early Church. But something like the Gospel of Thomas — along with having some controversial ideas — is basically a long litany of “Jesus said …” statements, devoid of events and any meaningful ministering to people by Jesus; on depth of presentation, it’s simply not up to the standards of its canonical counterparts.
I’m as enthralled and informed by well-written nonfiction as by fictional storytelling. Narrative structure — descriptions of being, not merely facts — sparks my imagination, whether or not it’s factually true (and whether or not we can even know everything that is or isn’t factually true).
Understanding narrative can help us find answers in the absence of perfectly, completely formulated questions. And both the more analytic writing and the more creative writing can assist the attentive reader along the journey.
Tell me your verdict!
How do you answer the question posed in the headline? Does nonfiction content attract you more or less than fiction does?
What do you think of me calling it “analytic writing”? Got a better suggestion for me to mull over?
And since I asked about what fiction you enjoy in last week’s article …
… this week I’ll ask, what are your favorite nonfiction works? Who are your favorite nonfiction writers / content creators?
Anything else on your mind after reading this article that you’d like to share?
Let me know in the Comments section …
Thank you!
I'm a fan of both although I read more fiction.
Often though, the fiction I read is based on real events, so it's fuzzy. Is James Michener's work fiction? Is Ayn Rand's? How about Joseph Wambaugh? Leon Uris? Tolstoy or Dostoevsky? Often works of fiction include the authors personally philosophy or they tell you about a culture that once existed or exists currently. Fictionalized novels are among my favorite, especially Russian Lit. Heck even the cheapest pop culture novels written a hundred years ago will often do a better job of informing people of the past than a history book written by liars, that's if the author has kept it half way real.
I prefer something that makes me think or helps me understand something I'm interested in. History is particular can be very dry if it's not presented in the format of a story with a plot.
I started writing a non-fiction book called "The Pagan Gods of State" it's too dry, I can't seem to make it enjoyable to read, I've given serious thought to changing the format to fiction.
What would I call non-fiction? "Factual Lit." would be good but it doesn't cover philosophy, which is a search for Truth not Fact. Perhaps, "Fact and Truth based Literature"?