The Motivational Editor

Helping Writers Go from Unpublished to Published

Structuring Nonfiction

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structuring nonfiction

Last month we looked at structuring your fiction story. This month we’ll look at structuring nonfiction.

While nonfiction has no plot, you still must ensure that your topic flows in an organized manner from beginning to end.

Does your subject matter fit a chronological arrangement? Perhaps it better fits a topical structure or even a step-by-step flow. Maybe there are overall themes that serve as sections/parts for your book and specific topics that fit under each theme.

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Structuring Your Book

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structuring your book,
Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

While worded in various ways, many of my readers stated they struggle with structuring their book, aka developing a plot. So, let’s take a look. (I’ll cover structuring nonfiction next month.)

I’ve written various posts on this topic throughout the years, and you’ll find links to several of those posts listed at the end. Why say it all again?

To start, every novel must have these items…

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Do You Have a Strategy or Just a Plan?

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Develop a strategy to achieve your goals.

The year 2022 was probably one of the busiest years I’ve ever had, but I ended the year frustrated and feeling like I’d gotten nowhere. I failed to complete nearly every goal I set.

Oh, like most entrepreneurs, I put in an average of over 200 hours of work every month. But I had little income to show for it. I wanted to make 2023 different—better—with more income but fewer hours and less stress.

God’s instructions were, If you want big money coming in, you need to learn how to run a business and properly manage that money. Aka be a wise steward.

I’ve been fully self-employed since late 2010. Has the business supported me? Not fully. Praise the Lord, God provides in other ways and my needs are met and bills are paid.

But I’ve determined that 2023 is the year I’ll make my business self-sustaining. And to do that I need to start with knowing three things:

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Dialog: Make It Work for Your Story

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smiley balloon thm
Our voices are as unique as our physical appearance.
Photo by GregRon Photography

(updated Jan. 31, 2023)

In a recent reader survey, several readers mentioned struggling with dialog, so today I’m pulling from the archive and updating it.

Dialog must accomplish 1 or more of 9 tasks, according to award-winning author Cecil Murphey. Perhaps that’s why it can be so difficult to write.

In real life we learn to recognize the voices of our friends and family.

But how do you recognize the voice of a story character when you never hear that voice?

Too often character dialog reads the same. But it’s important to give each a distinctive voice. But how?

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How to Identify Misplaced Modifiers

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self-editing locating misplaced modifiers

This month I’m discussing misplaced modifiers. Boring stuff, I know, but it can make for some comical—or embarrassing—reading.

I think everyone understands the definition of misplaced; however, modifiers might be a bit elusive.

Merriam-Webster Online Unabridged Dictionary gives this definition: “a word or phrase that makes specific the meaning of another word or phrase.”

Modifiers give more depth of meaning to a word that either precedes it or follows it. I think misplaced modifiers are often difficult to spot because 1) we know what we mean when we write it; 2) we tend to put things in the wrong order; and 3) we often speak them in a misplaced manner.

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Setting the Scene

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Setting the scene means letting the reader know where, when, and who.

Setting the scene for your reader is critical. After all, as readers, we want to know what’s what when a scene opens.

And yes, this means setting the scene with every opening. If this is missing, you run the risk of your reader jumping out of the story in order to figure things out. Keep your reader engaged!

When any scene in your story opens, the reader wants to know three key things.

  • Whose point of view are we in?
  • What point in time is it?
  • Where are we?
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How To Fail Miserably At Marketing While Still Having Wild Success

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Today’s post is from author Chad Campese. Chad is a father, husband, police officer, blogger, and author of the book Confession of a Christian Fraud. He holds a BA in Christian Counseling and psychology, is heavily involved in peer support and recovery when it comes to first responders, and is an expert in living his life and faith as a fraud. These days he simply relies on the leading of the Spirit as he tries to slowly and purposefully take life one day at a time.

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What Are Tropes and Should I Use Them?

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What do secret baby, amnesia, orphan, and billionaire have in common? They’re all tropes.

Have you heard of these things? Do you know what they are? I sure didn’t until recently.

I’d heard the word a lot over the past year, but despite doing some research, I hadn’t been able to get a grip on what the word really meant or how to apply it to my writing.

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