Creating Fiction Vs. Non-Fiction Content

My writing efforts are divided into writing both fiction and non-fiction writing. In my experience, each one has their own advantages and disadvantages and I highly recommend that you write both fiction and non-fiction content.

But I’m not forcing you to right in both mediums. In fact, two of the world famous and bestselling authors of today, George RR Martin and Neil Gaiman recommends that you write what you like and know about.

So if you like and know a lot about writing fiction, then do it. The same goes for writing non-fiction. But it is perhaps best to tell you that none other than horror fiction bestselling author Stephen King has also written non-fiction books on the subject of writing.

Stephen King has also written other non-fiction books besides fiction. If you check out Stephen King’s official website, you would immediately notice that he has a part on his website which lists down his non-fiction works.

Whether you are writing fiction or non-fiction, you cannot underestimate the value of an idea. Writing is an exhausting thing to do mentally. If you are not yourself sold to the idea of what you are writing about, chances are that you would have a difficult time writing it.

Perhaps you are a professional writer already and have written a couple of books. If you are like me, then you would have experienced the torment of having to find ideas that you can write about.

And this is where all your knowledge and experiences come together. If you have been writing even for a short time only, then you would find that your brain usually dictates whether you would write fiction or non-fiction.

And this is why it is helpful that you develop into a good writer of both fiction and non-fiction writings. Writing in both mediums allow you to become a flexible writer in case you need to be. There are many writing opportunities out there for writers who are adept at writing both fiction and non-fiction.

Preventing Boredom:

Writing fiction or non-fiction only for a very long time may begin to bore you. And this could affect your work. When your are bored with writing, it affects how you write and very soon your readers will notice this.

By writing both fiction and non-fiction, you avoid boredom. I have written several novels and novellas already. I can definitely say from experience that writing novels is a very mentally draining experience.

This is because you are writing almost between 25,000 to 100,000 words which you have to check and recheck everytime as you write. This can be very boring especially if you have the beginning and the end already laid out.

The task of writing can become so monotonous that sometimes you just want to go and start writing another book just to feel reinvigorated again. This is why I write both fiction and non-fiction, to prevent boredom.

The less I am bored, the more I can write. This means that my productivity is always high. The more productive I am, the more writing products I can produce which means that I would probably earn higher for the same amount of time I’m bored and idle.

Not Running Out Of Things To Write About:

I have also experienced running out of ideas when trying to come up with what to write in my novels. Many writers have a word about this. They call it Writer’s Block. Some writers tell people that there is no such thing as writer’s block.

For example, RL Stein who is world famous for his Goosebumps children’s horror book series state that there is no such thing as writer’s block. He states that the reason why writers have writer’s block is because they have inadequately prepared the outline of their books.

But there is one thing about RL Stein that we need to know. Although he allegedly does not suffer from writer’s block while writing his books, he admits that it takes him several days just to finish the outline of his book.

He never mentions if he suffers from writer’s block when he is preparing the outline of his book. As you can see, the problem of running out of ideas to write is a very real problem for many writers.

If you are writing both fiction and non-fiction, there is a very big chance that you won’t run out of ideas to write about. There are just so many things to write about when you combine all the available ideas for fiction and non-fiction.

By being able to spend less time thinking about what to write and actually writing, I again become more productive. I would generate more work for less time which is a better use of my time. I’ll probably earn more.

You Have Some Information Already:

Since there is a lot of information that previously exists for a lot of non-fiction subjects, there is a great chance that you would already have a lot of reference if ever you wanted to write about anything non-fiction.

For example, let us discuss the industry of self-help books. There are already a lot of books produced on self-help subjects that it is virtually impossible to read all of them and more and more are being produced everyday.

If you ever wanted to write your own self-help book, there is a strong chance that what you are about to write already exist in some form in other previously written self-help books. But this is not a problem, many self-help writers actually reference previously written self-help books.

It Has More Practical Use To Readers Than Fiction:

As non-fiction books are meant to be informative as compared to fiction books, there is a very strong chance that cost conscious people would pick them over fiction books. If you go to Quora forums, you would notice that this information is often stated.

Many professional writers/authors like to point out that the people who actually have the purchasing power to buy books tend to choose non-fiction books over fiction books. Self-help books are for example the most popular genre in non-fiction books.

If you are the person who is more concerned about whether your book would sell over actually writing it, then many seasoned people in the publishing business recommend that you write a self-help non-fiction book instead of fiction.

It Can Get Dated:

Many authors who write both fiction and non-fiction like to point out that since non-fiction generally deals with facts and statistics, it can get dated after some time. For example, I like to include industry growth statistics for my non-fiction writing in my website.

In a few years, these industry growth statistics would need to be updated. I would probably need to also update the other information I have because industries and markets as well as the products I’m discussing themselves would have changed already.

You Might Have To Do A Lot Of Research:

Unlike when I’m writing fiction where I could just invent the stories and facts I use, I cannot do this when I’m writing non-fiction. This is because non-fiction generally deals with real world scenarios and information and getting the information wrong is a point against me.

One of the disadvantages of doing research besides it being difficult to fact-check is its drain on one’s time. I notice that sometimes, the time I spent on research is longer than the time I spent writing my non-fiction content.

Free To Use Your Imagination:

Perhaps this is the best thing about fiction writing. You are not constrained to the facts unless you are an author who is writing Hard Science Fiction. You are allowed to invent stories, characters and scenarios to your heart’s content.

Compare this to writing non-fiction where you have to research the facts and are being judged by your readers based on the reality of what you are writing. Just look at the writings of JK Rowling and her Harry Potter books for example to get an idea of how imaginative you can be.

It Can Be Very Entertaining:

One of the benefits of creating your own story is that you are in complete control of your writings. Writing fiction is like working and watching a movie at the same time. While you work, you entertain yourself as well.

This is a very good way to spend your time working, and if you’re lucky, you can even be a billionaire while writing to entertain yourself. While becoming a billionaire by writing may seem very remote, we can only look at none other than JK Rowling as an example.

You Create And Own Your World And Characters:

Everybody knows about Manga studios, Walt Disney, Warner Brothers, Fox and other media companies. If you are a writer and if your books become so popular that they get turned into movies and television series, then you know what I’m talking about.

Besides earning book royalties, you also get to earn royalties when companies use the world and characters you have created. We don’t need to go far to see how authors became millionaires and billionaires when their world and characters become cultural icons via the way of movies and merchandise.

Your Product Is Not A Necessity:

This is the hard truth that authors need to hear if you are creating fiction. Many fiction books exists merely to entertain the readers. Although there have been fiction books that do not only entertain, but educate readers as well.

Authors such as Arthur Hailey is an example of these fiction authors. If you have read a couple of his books, then you would notice that he also gives industry information on the subjects he is talking about in his business books.

Historical fiction can be informative also. One of the reason why these fiction books sell is because people are sometimes educated by the historical content of these books. So if you are a fiction author, it pays to also educate your readers instead of merely entertaining them.

A Lot Of People Are Writing It:

As I have mentioned, writing fiction can be a very entertaining activity. It is a hobby for many people. This is the reason why there are many fiction books out there and more and more are being produced.

Many now famous authors when interviewed would frequently say that they write for writing’s sake and money to them was secondary. At most, all that they ever wanted to achieve in writing is to do it full-time and not become millionaires or billionaires.

So if the reason why you write is to become a millionaire or even a billionaire, better think again. There are other kinds of work where you have a greater assurance of becoming a millionaire or billionaire. There are many writers who do other jobs just to get by.

The writing ideas in your head determine if you would predominantly write fiction or non-fiction. It would be a good idea though, to become good at writing both fiction and non-fiction. It opens up a lot of writing opportunities for you.

There are advantages and disadvantages in writing fiction and non-fiction. But as the onset of this article has informed us, you need to write about the things that you like and have a lot of knowledge about, this is the secret of many of the successful writers/authors of today.

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