Forget Genre, Find the Emotional Core of Your Story First

One subject of writing craft that’s always fascinated me is the intersection of fiction and creative nonfiction. I’ve studied and read both over the years, learning that there’s a very thin line separating them.

In most cases, a book’s label boils down to what the writer wants to call it. Or what they’re comfortable saying it truly is.

This was one of the struggles I had with my first novel. With a professional background in journalism, I intended to write a piece of creative nonfiction based on elements of my life. But, the artistic process intervened and forced me onto a different track.

Regardless if your intention is to write true stories or made up stories, you need to find the emotional core of the story first. This is what really hooks people. If you don’t believe me, observe what’s been happening in 2020.

People are turning away from “traditional” journalism. They’re making decisions based on emotions and beliefs. They’re gravitating towards stories that align with their perspectives. Many literary novels are going unread.

I don’t want to get into a critical analysis of this trend for my blog post. I simply want to point out what’s happening.

Good storytelling is emotional; sharing the way you feel with someone else. It’s the type of connection more people need in their lives.

There’s a great essay by novelist and New Journalism writer Tom Wolfe called “The Emotional Core of the Story.” It’s included in Telling True Stories : A Nonfiction Writers’ Guide from the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University. Wolfe is known for both his creative nonfiction (The Right Stuff) and fiction (The Bonfires of the Vanities).

Fiction & Creative Nonfiction Are Written the Same Way

For newer writers, there’s confusion about the differences between writing fiction and nonfiction. I know this to be true because I felt the same way when I started.

But, here’s the truth: craft is the same for both genres!

After hundreds of years of boring newspaper prose, writers in the New Journalism movement of the 60s (Norman Mailer, Truman Capote, Gay Talese, and others) started to incorporate elements of fiction into their nonfiction pieces.

According to Tom Wolfe, there are “specific devices that give fiction its absorbing or gripping quality.” He breaks them down into four categories:

1. Scene-by-scene construction to present the action cinematically and develop a sense of immediacy
2. Dialogue to engage readers and reveal character background without using too many words
3. Noting specific details that demonstrate a character’s aspirations or rank
4. Using point of view in the Henry Jamesian sense of putting the reader inside the mind of another person.

Writing nonfiction like this was controversial decades ago, yet think about what you see in the bookstores today. Memoirs and current events books are what’s selling. People want to read true stories and they expect them to be engaging.

Finding the Emotional Core of Your Story

Because fiction and creative nonfiction are more similar than originally thought, now all you have to worry about as a writer is finding the emotional core of your story.

Whether it’s a 1,000-word profile in a local newspaper or 100,000-word fantasy novel, the emotional core is what grips the reader and never lets them go.

This is where research comes in. Writing creative nonfiction clearly requires a lot more research than fiction, but you still may need to do it for a novel if your topic is complex or historical in nature.

While doing research on your story idea or topic, try to find intimate stories that show effects and consequences on real people. If possible, embed yourself with the people you’re writing about to get a sense of their life.

Irish writer Colum McCann, for example, wrote a brilliant novel (This Side of Brightness) featuring a character who lived in a homeless community under New York City in the subway tunnels. There’s an interview with McCann, posted on his website, in which he discusses spending weeks underground getting to know the people living in the abandoned tunnels.

This was how McCann conducted research for his novel. It offered him the insight and perspective he needed to write a realistic and emotional interpretation of real people’s lives. Not something that is glib or cliche.

Don’t Start With Genre!

The best thing to do is not worry about your genre until after the story is down. Instead, research and learn about your subjects. Complete a few drafts. Find and polish the emotional core. You may be surprised where the process takes you.

In my case, there was something about calling myself a nonfiction writer that was blocking my creative process. Instead, I put the thought out of my mind and only focused on writing the best book possible and connecting with readers.

Don’t pigeonhole yourself into writing one type of book, just worry about the emotional core and figure out the labels down the road.