Writing non-fiction

[Mounds]

Looking for a few tips on writing non-fiction. Websites and books are also welcome.
I'm looking to improve my writing skills so I can write some articles for a nature club I belong to as well as one day writing some e-books. I ordered this book today for a grand total of $10 with shipping

Lay it on me

-Tim

[WarrenG]

Find some stuff that has a similar vibe to what you're going for, and read a lot of it. It rubs off on you by the power of writing osmosis.

[Mounds]

Ya know, that's a darn good point. I've noticed that in the past.

[LostMyMap]

Originally Posted by Mounds

Looking for a few tips on writing non-fiction. Websites and books are also welcome.
I'm looking to improve my writing skills so I can write some articles for a nature club I belong to as well as one day writing some e-books. I ordered this book today for a grand total of $10 with shipping

Lay it on me

-Tim

Start with the basics you learned in school:

Intro
Content
Summary

Or
Tell me what you're gonna tell me
Tell me what you're telling me
Tell me what you just told me

If you are writing for a specific publication, i.e. club newsletter, look at articles they have already published for things like subject, length, tone etc.

Curiouslyrandom will have some great input on this.

Non-fiction covers a lot of ground. Might help to narrow down some more the type of writing. Self help, how-to, tech stuff, op-ed, etc.

From what I have seen you write here, you definitely have good writing skills already.

[Mounds]

I know exactly how I'd like to write for the nature club. I quite literally want to pick a spot, walk in and record everything I see... from plants to animals to insects to birds to the habitat itself. I also want to describe the interactions I see. I like writing with a touch of humor as well.
One particular scenario I think I'd like to write about is the insect world that you see in the sand dunes of Manitoba. It's pretty darn neat when you go in there. There are thousands of tiny ant hills all over the ground, with appropriately tiny ants (tiny by ant standards) crawling all around. Then you'll see a tiger beetle standing a foot away from the hill, grabbing ants. For a comparison, if the ants were our size, the beetle would be the size of a bus.
On occasion, you'll see a massive fly buzz past. They look like miniature helicopters and are called robber flies (up to an inch and a half in length). They're the tiger beetle's main predator.
You'll also find hundreds of solitary bee's building their holes along in sand blowouts. They have curious coloration, with very pale blue and black stripes, as oppose to the usual yellow and black.
If your really lucky (or unlucky if you swing that way), you'll run across a monster wolf spider that burrows in the sand (2 inch leg span). I've caught my share in traps but only I've only seen them alive twice. These guys don't back down and aren't afraid to bite. I dd the natural thing last time I saw one and poked it with a stick. Seems like all non-web building spiders have the same reaction. They don't run, they fight.
I had so much fun writing just that, I think I might just write the article and fire it over to the nature club. I can learn by doing as well as reading up on it.

-Tim

[curiouslyrandom]

Publishers I work with ask that I read their magazine or books before submitting anything to them. One magazine publisher I contacted said she wanted solid, content-driven material, well researched and pertinent to their readership's interest. She then told me I'd be assigned an editor. I asked why, and was told most of the writers they work with can't edit worth a darn.

[RomanHD]

Originally Posted by Captain Obvious

In order to become good at writing, you have to write A LOT.

[curiouslyrandom]

You'll also find hundreds of solitary bee's bees building their holes along in sand blowouts. They have curious coloration, with very pale blue and black stripes, as opposed to the usual yellow and black.
If your you are really lucky (or unlucky if you swing that way), you'll run across a monster wolf spider that burrows in the sand (2 inch leg span). I've caught my share in traps but only I've only seen them alive twice. These guys don't back down and aren't afraid to bite. I dd did the natural thing last time I saw one and poked it with a stick. Seems like all non-web building spiders have the same reaction. They don't run, they fight.
I had so much fun writing just that, I think I might just write the article and fire it over to the nature club. I can learn by doing as well as reading up on it. [remove one "just"--too repetitive]

-Tim

I can't help myself. My inner editor really loves to do this sort of thing. Nice work, btw. I agree, it would make a nice article.

[Mounds]

Originally Posted by curiouslyrandom

Publishers I work with ask that I read their magazine or books before submitting anything to them. One magazine publisher I contacted said she wanted solid, content-driven material, well researched and pertinent to their readership's interest. She then told me I'd be assigned an editor. I asked why, and was told most of the writers they work with can't edit worth a darn.

Biggest noob question of the decade: What does editing actually entail? Furthermore, what does an editor do?

Always wondered, was afraid to ask.

[LostMyMap]

Originally Posted by Mounds

I can learn by doing

-Tim

Absolutely essential in writing. Lots and lots of writing. All the time.

I'm tripping about sand dunes in Canada. My impression of Canada is Vancouver (temperate rain forests) and what I see on TV.

[Mounds]

Originally Posted by curiouslyrandom

I can't help myself. My inner editor really loves to do this sort of thing. Nice work, btw. I agree, it would make a nice article.

If your willing to look it over when it's done, I could fire it your way to see what you think. I'm not embarrassed about submitting something that's not professional but I wouldn't mind the pointers.

[Grandiouse]

I have always written about what I am most interested in. Over the past few years, I have read a lot about self improvement and spirituality so that is what I choose to write about.

I think you have to have an interest in whatever you are writing about if you are to do it long term. Maybe that's why I had such a hard time getting started on essays in school.

Also, I write whatever is on my mind and heart. My inspiration comes from life as well as stuff I read.

Good luck on your ventures!

[curiouslyrandom]

Editing can have several layers. One is the quick edit, which I did on your writing up there. General syntax and grammar stuff, obvious mistakes involving commas and apostrophes, nothing too in-depth. I eyeball that stuff all the time when I'm reading, and find mistakes in all sorts of publications.

After a quick edit, I like to go back and check if something like tiger beetle should be capitalized and if there's a Latin name to go after it. I checked and yes, it's "Tiger Beetle (Cicindelidae)" and might have another name even more specific to your region. Deep editing involves doing research to make sure the facts check out. I like doing that, but it's not as popular or as cheap as a quick edit.

Editors also clean up your writing style. I've had to chop out hundreds of words from poorly written articles that came in well over their word count limit. So long as I keep the original author's voice intact, it's all good. If I have to practically rewrite the article, it's considered ghost writing, and I don't get paid enough to do that right now. It's kind of fun, though.

[curiouslyrandom]

Originally Posted by Mounds

If your willing to look it over when it's done, I could fire it your way to see what you think. I'm not embarrassed about submitting something that's not professional but I wouldn't mind the pointers.

If you want to have your work accepted by publishers, it should be pretty clean. Most magazines will have an editor on staff who can do this for you, but if you're regularly turning in articles that mix up "your" and "you're", for example, they might not bother to read what you've got. Errors like that tend to turn publishers off.

Being observant to the world around you will give you more material than you can imagine, and you've already got that figured out! The next step is getting it read by the right people and getting paid for writing it.

[LostMyMap]

As an example of voice, I wrote a few articles for a software magazine years ago. I could write the article as a narrative (here's what I did, this is what happened) or as instructive (if you want to do this, follow these steps). If I switched from on to the other in the middle of the article, the editor sent it back to me.

Then there was the flow. If I spent half of the article introducing the problem I was solving the readers would never get to the good stuff. So the intros had to be succinct, yet enough to explain the motive for what I was doing.

Those type of things were important to them. Other places would be different.

[Mounds]

Originally Posted by curiouslyrandom

I checked and yes, it's "Tiger Beetle (Cicindelidae)" and might have another name even more specific to your region.

Haha, cool to see someone use that term other than me (Cicindelidae) that is. I could even talk specific species if I wanted. The species I had envisioned is a fairly common one, formerly named Cicindela formosa manitoba. Apparently that showed too much favouritism so they changed it to Cicindela formosa generosa. Lo and behold, they're very common in Manitoba and not so much in other places.
There are other species in the exact same spot but they tend to keep to themselves. You'll find a cluster of Cicindela limbata nympha in one spot, then Cicindela formosa generosa in the rolling dunes and populations of Cicindela tranquberica and Cicindela scutellaris lecontei in the plateaus. If you hit the jackpot, you'll find a Cicindela lengi but that they only occur for a short period of time.
One year, something weird happened and I ran across a population of Cicindela repanda in the same dunes. That particular species loves to be near water so I have no idea how they got there. I usually find them along river banks and lake shores... but that's another story for another day.
In case there are curious minds, you can actually find that many different species of the same type of beetle in a single square kilometre. I have the specimens to prove it

By the way, I wouldn't actually write an article like that. I'm just rambling on about my passion.

-Tim

[LostMyMap]

Originally Posted by Mounds

Haha, cool to see someone use that term other than me (Cicindelidae) that is. I could even talk specific species if I wanted. The species I had envisioned is a fairly common one, formerly named Cicindela formosa manitoba. Apparently that showed too much favouritism so they changed it to Cicindela formosa generosa. Lo and behold, they're very common in Manitoba and not so much in other places.
There are other species in the exact same spot but they tend to keep to themselves. You'll find a cluster of Cicindela limbata nympha in one spot, then Cicindela formosa generosa in the rolling dunes and populations of Cicindela tranquberica and Cicindela scutellaris lecontei in the plateaus. If you hit the jackpot, you'll find a Cicindela lengi but that they only occur for a short period of time.
One year, something weird happened and I ran across a population of Cicindela repanda in the same dunes. That particular species loves to be near water so I have no idea how they got there. I usually find them along river banks and lake shores... but that's another story for another day.
In case there are curious minds, you can actually find that many different species of the same type of beetle in a single square kilometre. I have the specimens to prove it

By the way, I wouldn't actually write an article like that. I'm just rambling on about my passion.

-Tim

Oooh another thing editors can help with. Those bold words look funny (spelling) to us Americans even though they are fine with you. So audience is important to edit for.

Ever combined your love for bugs with your love for cooking?

[Mounds]

Cool advice guys, thanks a lot. Honest question though, do you think people want to see the scientific names in the articles? I won't be too liberal with them but I could just make mention of them.

[Mounds]

Originally Posted by LostMyMap

Ever combined your love for bugs with your love for cooking?

Ha!

Ya, once. Science fair project in Grade 7. Blind taste tests... people consistently liked the bug treats better than without. On the menu? Mealworm banana bread and chocolate chip cookies with crickets baked in.

No joke.

-Tim

[curiouslyrandom]

By the way, I wouldn't actually write an article like that. I'm just rambling on about my passion.

That's exactly what some publishers want! Passion mixed with knowledge. Good stuff. Draw the reader in, throw some facts in to give it substance, and you're golden.

I'd say if your target audience includes the readers of a nature magazine, then yes, include the genera and such.

Find out the word count the magazine would require, write something up, and get back to me.

[Medea33]

Originally Posted by Mounds

Honest question though, do you think people want to see the scientific names in the articles? I won't be too liberal with them but I could just make mention of them.

Since you want to write for your nature club to start, you should include scientific names. People who are interested will like it and those who aren't will skip right through them.

If you produce more than curiouslyrandom wants to edit gratis, I'll volunteer as second violin. Your writing is pretty good already, so it wouldn't be a particularly tough job.

[Mounds]

Originally Posted by Medea33

Since you want to write for your nature club to start, you should include scientific names. People who are interested will like it and those who aren't will skip right through them.

If you produce more than curiouslyrandom wants to edit gratis, I'll volunteer as second violin. Your writing is pretty good already, so it wouldn't be a particularly tough job.

Thanks a lot! I might just take you up on your offer

I should mention that this nature club is just a provincial thing. They put out a request in their newsletter that members submit articles, otherwise there isn't really anything to read! I don't think they'd turn it down unless it was particularly dreadful. It'd just be nice to get a couple opinions and pointers.

If it ever developed into something for monetary gain, I imagine I'd be hiring a freelance editor

[escapeplan]

No real advice to offer Mounds, as writing is not my strong point. Just wanted to wish you well in this though and I'm sure you'll excel at it. You ideas are grounded in reality and you have naturally good communication skills. That sounds like a winning combination to me!

[Mark Dykeman]

If you are looking for a self-structured, long form non-fiction writing exercise, you might want to check out GloManWriMo.

[Medea33]

Originally Posted by Mounds

Thanks a lot! I might just take you up on your offer

I should mention that this nature club is just a provincial thing. They put out a request in their newsletter that members submit articles, otherwise there isn't really anything to read! I don't think they'd turn it down unless it was particularly dreadful. It'd just be nice to get a couple opinions and pointers.

If it ever developed into something for monetary gain, I imagine I'd be hiring a freelance editor

The best writing gig I ever had was reviewing childrens' books for a preschool consortium, so a provincial nature club's newsletter sounds like a small slice of heaven.

Anyway, you already write clearly and well, so you would only really need help with things like homonyms and maybe punctuation.

[mint]

Hi Mounds, there is an online writing forum called Absolute Write that has sections for all sorts of writing including non-fiction.

I think you'd enjoy it. It's the biggest writing forum I have found.

Absolute Write Water Cooler - Powered by vBulletin

Best wishes......

[Sue_B]

I recall reading that people like lists. For instance, 5 Things You May Not Know About the Manitoba Sand Dunes or 5 Insects to Look for at the Manitoba Sand Dunes. Then you have an intro paragraph or two, the 5 points with some text for each, and end with a summary type paragraph.

If the magazine has a general audience mixed in, you may want to use the name most people would recognize followed by the scientific name in brackets.

Have fun!