Telling a story in your non fiction writing 
Good writing can, and in many cases should, tell a story. I’m not only talking about fiction. The best non fiction also tells a story, one that can be as powerful as any piece of fiction.
You can do it by melding techniques of fiction with non fiction. But don’t take that as a license to make something up. Keep the story real. Real people, real events, real thoughts and emotions.
What kind of story do you want to tell?
Instructive? Sad? Uplifting? Funny? Personal? There really is no end the kind of story that you can tell in a piece of non fiction writing. Regardless of the story, though, it should never, ever be boring. The story you’re telling might not appeal to everyone, but you should strive to try to draw in as many readers as you can.
Begin at the beginning. Or not …
There’s an old adage that a story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. That structure seems restrictive, but you can play around with it. Not every story needs to start from the top. You can use the classic technique of starting from the end and working your way backwards to the beginning — recounting how the result came about.
Or, you can try to start in the middle. Set the scene at a crucial turning point in the story, and then build outwards. You can, for example, explore separate threads and bring them all to a conclusion. Or, from the middle work your way to the beginning to describe how you or your subject got there, then loop around to the end.
Start strong
In print journalism, a strong lede (yes, that is spelled correctly) draws the reader in. That hook can be just about anything: a shock, a joke, a snippet of overheard conversation, a description of a scene. Then, build the story from there. Sometimes, an element of the story leaps out and tells you that it’s your lede. At other times, you need to search and ponder in order to find the perfect lede.
One of the essays that I plan to write eventually has its starting point with something my wife said a couple of years ago. The words were uttered at one of those moments of despair, anger, and frustration that the parents of an autistic child often feels. But those words will definitely make an impact.
The importance of dialogue
Sometimes, your words and thoughts aren’t enough. Especially if you’re telling a story that involves others. That’s where dialogue comes in. I’m not just talking about quotes, but about spoken or written interaction between two or more people. One of those people might be you, or you might be a third-party listening in.
Of course, not all dialogue will be suitable. Mundane conversation or chit-chat doesn’t keep the reader interested. Unless, of course, you have a good reason to include it. But that reason had better be really good. A lot of readers don’t have the patience for filler.
Don’t succumb to making things up. Use the real words spoken or written by real people. Try to be as accurate as possible when recording what’s said. By recording, I don’t mean using tape or digital devices. You might not always have one around. But you should have a notebook handy in which you can jot down what’s being said. Invariably, you’ll miss something. Try to fill in the blanks from memory. If you can’t, then leave it out.
That said, you don’t always need dialogue to tell a story. I’ve written several personal essays which consisted only of my thoughts and perceptions. With those pieces, I don’t think adding dialogue would have improved them much if at all.
Non fiction writing can tell a story as well as (and sometimes better) than fiction. It does take work and thought, but it can be done.
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