Fiction and nonfiction writing are related, but they differ in important ways. By knowing how they differ, we can adapt our writing to fit the need of fiction and nonfiction.
I often wonder whether writer’s block is something that afflicts unexperienced writers more than experienced ones. I know I am struck with a case of writer’s block every so often, but it happens less than when I was younger. Nevertheless, it happens, but these days I have begun to notice something about my own writer’s block: When I write something that relates to facts (I am explaining how to do something, for example), I do not get writer’s block. But when I try to write creatively or convey a creative idea, I have more trouble finding satisfying words.
This might be easily explained by me not caring as much about how I write when I am explaining something. If I get my point across, I am happy. When I write creatively, I am trying to do my best writing, so I worry more about how the words are put on paper.
I think being relaxed and writing without a critical eye is important when creating the first draft of something. I am doing that very thing right now. But even when I relax, times still exist where I can’t find the words to begin writing. Again, even when I am not relaxed, explaining something comes easily and being creative does not. I believe this happens because when I am explaining something, I am using writing as a tool and not for artistic expression. There is a difference between how I write fiction and nonfiction.
First, as I said before, don’t worry about your first draft. You’ll trap yourself in a little box if you censor yourself every other word. Second, the issue lies in how we approach writing, either from a creative perspective or as a tool. If you are relaxed when writing and are putting off edits until a later date and you still have trouble coming up with words, you may be approaching writing from the wrong perspective.
When you write merely to convey ideas, you start with something you can clearly define. All you are doing is explaining pieces and connecting those pieces back to the whole. To write creatively is different. The information you are dealing with is not clearly defined. Even if you do make a detailed outline, the essence of your writing doesn’t fully come into focus. You deal with a cloud, and this cloud of an idea doesn’t have clearly defined edges. It is difficult to determine where it begins and where it ends (or if it ends at all). When you are trying to convey a feeling to your reader, this becomes even more difficult.
Relaying facts is linear. Explaining a philosophical idea or an object is linear as well. You need to have the pieces make sense on a logical level, and each of the parts must fit together in relation to the whole in a logical fashion. Though there is a logic to creativity, when you are trying to convey something in a creative way, the pieces need to fit together aesthetically. When your goal is to be creative, take a step away from logically explaining things. You may be wondering how a person does this. Anything that gets you away from thinking with words helps. The goal of creative writing is to get someone to experience someone. Start there. Think about how you experience things. You don’t experience them with words. You experience them through taste, smell, touch, hearing, and sight. So, use your senses. Start imagining how things taste, how they smell, how they sound, how they feel, and how they look. This will not only help you relax, it will also give you the information you need to write.
Why does this work? You are bringing an experience into the forefront of your mind to study it. The more you know about an experience, the better you can write it in a way that will convey that experience. What if you’re in a bad mood and imagining is difficult? As a person who is in a bad mood a lot, I think music can help you as it has helped me. Try listening to something. Let your mind drift. Start imagining things. Have fun. Then write.