Abstraction And Storytelling: Fiction Tools For Nonfiction Writers
The tools of fiction are some of the most powerful elements of writing. What many people don’t know is that you can use the same instruments that bolster a novel’s quality to bring a good amount of character into non-fictional work.
Two elements of good fiction that make for excellent additions to many features and essays are abstraction and storytelling. Want to know how to integrate them into your own work?
Abstraction. Formulating generalized ideas by extracting common qualities is frequently employed in works of fiction. Features, on the other hand, are usually marked by specifics, detailed accounts and unambiguous descriptions.
The funny thing is, many good pieces of nonfiction writing include the use of abstractions. In fact, you’ve probably used it in some of your own compositions. Every time you summarize details in order to better communicate your message, this is the technique you are employing.
Storytelling. Some of the best pieces of nonfiction around are told as a story. News reports, in fact, are stories themselves, albeit restricted to detailing the tail end of it.
Employing the element of storytelling in your own work means involving an entire plot in the piece, punctuated by a beginning, a middle and an ending. Like woks of fiction, it can involve literary devices such as a contrast between content and style, irony, dialogue and twists, all while narrating a real-life tale.
As with all forms of writing, dramatic elements work best when combined with a good writing composition software. After all, what use are infusing powerful elements when your words aren’t able to communicate clearly and concisely.