I've Got Mail!

A reader has a question and I've got an answer; plus, routine examinations, finding good books, and a few other things I'm loving.

Gentle readers,

Can you believe that I've been writing you every week now for more than two years? During that time, I've taken you to various parts of Europe and the American West, shared my latest magazine work, and posted little tidbits that you may find interesting. I've interviewed chefs and podcasters and authors and flamenco dancers. I've told you family stories, like the one about that time my dad maybe almost got eaten by an enormous hammerhead shark. But what I've never done is answer one of your most pressing questions, even though I LOVE DOING THAT KIND OF THING and used to do it all the time when I was on Facebook.

Right around the time I began to accept that you really don't need my help at all, one of you wrote me in search of an answer only I (and maybe a few others, but play along with me here, why don't you...) can provide.

That question comes from S.: Have you written anything in previous newsletters about how to approach writing fiction vs nonfiction?  I’m toying with the idea for my next book which is scary and exciting.  Bird by Bird has been my bible so far.

Thank you for your question, S. First of all, you have great taste in books. Second, no, I have not written anything in previous newsletters about how – or whether – to approach writing fiction vs. nonfiction, but I sincerely appreciate you coming to me with this query.

Let me walk you through how I've wrestled with this question in my own writing life. Growing up, I read all of the books, and wrote short stories, and thought maybe I'd live the dazzling life of a hotshot Manhattan novelist someday. In my imagination, there'd be stories about me to the effect of "she may be young, but she writes with the wisdom and grace of someone twice her age. She is the next big thing." They'd run a picture of me with these pieces where I'm wearing a black turtleneck, looking cool, of course, but slightly inconvenienced by it all. After all, I'd rather be writing novels – and living very much alone in Paris – so, you know, let's please get what we need with this photo shoot so I can get back to my oeuvre.

That, of course, was a youthful fiction designed to light the way toward my uncertain future. Did I become a novelist? No. I became a journalist. And when you're doing that job right, you're telling stories that are rooted very squarely in fact. At least that's the way it used to be. Aside from all the fiction I read, I was enchanted by the writer Studs Terkel's work when I was a weirdly young age. His book Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do was an obsession of mine, because it was chock full of stories about real people and their lives. Yes, I was a nosy youngster who wanted to know what the mailman's take home pay was, and what worried a nurse most, and how many jobs a musician had to work to make ends meet. To me, this was cool stuff, and I wanted to work a job where I could follow my curiosity and get people to tell me cool – and real – stuff too, so I could tell stories about them. My attitude is that you just can't make certain things up. Truth really is stranger than fiction.

So that's my argument for nonfiction, which I think can educate as much as it entertains. Then again, I am biased. I write journalism and nonfiction books, after all. So, do with this information what you will.

But then there's fiction, where you have more leeway. Granted, there are thriller writers I know who have some of the most terrifying search histories you'll encounter, a la "how long does it take for a dead body to turn blue?" and other things of that nature. Those are things that you have to get right when luxuriating in your dreamy little plot, because inevitably someone will always come out of nowhere if you do not to declare "actually, tomatoes would never be able to survive on the moon because the temperature and soil are all wrong." So facts do still matter to a certain extent. But, you have more freedom to spread out and take your plot by the hand and tug it along wherever you think is best. Imagine having that kind of power! Your characters can certainly be inspired by people you know (just not me, okay), but they can make different choices, have different hair color, and exist in ways that aren't based on someone else's real memory, or carefully kept archive. It's really up to you. That sort of mental frolic can be a whole lot of fun, if you're so inclined.

Still not sure which way to lean? There's no harm in playing in both sandboxes and seeing which one is more fun for you. Seriously. Give it a go! I insist!

Along those lines, I once hit a wall with a nonfiction story I was working about a man who created an iconic aspect of luxury travel. I had noodled around in archives, only to hit brick walls, or learn that papers were destroyed in floods, or written in a language I did not know (note to self: learn Dutch). In a quiet moment, I started thinking about how this man's creation was inspired by a broken heart. So I began drafting a story about how an unrequited love in the nineteenth century led to this really romantic thing that endures. I was trucking along just fine until I came to a part where there could definitely be a sexy little scene and I stopped dead in my tracks. My imagination simply could not arrive at what was about to happen. I mean, it could, but then I started thinking "Good God, what if my mother read this?" And then, "can I solve this problem by saying something like "as they ravaged each other with kisses, he turned out the lights and you know what happened next...'?" No I could not. Maybe I'll come back to it someday with a suitable solution, one that won't make my sister shriek "is THAT all you've got, you prude?" as she laughs me into oblivion.

So, at the end of the day, S, this nonfiction-versus-fiction decision you face is one that will ultimately come down to your own skills and preferences. Yes, there are guidelines to consider. But at the end of the day, if you've got a story inside of you that's screaming to be told, you need to tell it in the way only you can, nonfiction or not. Know that I, Paige, believe in you, and look forward to seeing what you decide. I hope this missive has been helpful in its own way, and maybe even a little entertaining too.

And if anyone else needs me to solve your problems, or answer any pressing questions that are on your mind, hit me up. My in-house illustrator made me this special image for just this sort of thing, so I'd love to use it again – and help you, too.

Thank you again for being here, everyone. I hope your weekend is great, and that's a fact.

Paige

Writing prompt: Think of a curiously shady bit of family lore. Write about that story as it has been told again and again, then write about what you think actually happened.

Life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent. We would not dare to conceive the things which are really mere commonplaces of existence. If we could fly out of that window hand in hand, hover over this great city, gently remove the roofs, and and peep in at the queer things which are going on, the strange coincidences, the plannings, the cross-purposes, the wonderful chains of events, working through generations, and leading to the most outre results, it would make all fiction with its conventionalities and foreseen conclusions most stale and unprofitable.

-- Arthur Conan Doyle

Endnotes

A Routine Examination

See this poor lady? She's at her desk, teary-eyed, probably because she is in a writing rut of some sort, and just doesn't know how to snap out of it. You know what would help her a lot? A routine. For LitHub, writer Aigner Loren Wilson explores the routines of famous creatives like the writer Toni Morrison (who wrote early in the morning while her children were sleeping), the composer Mozart (who strolled through the woods to think about his symphonies), and rock star David Bowie (who tore his work apart and put it back together in a different order). As Wilson applies their methods to her own creative practice, she realizes that routines "teach us to listen, to slow down, to look with our whole hearts out and to create in the same way, fully and passionately." If you're in a creative rut, definitely check out this piece for inspiration. And even if you're not, it's always interesting to see how people do the amazing things they do!

How Do You Figure Out What to Read Next?

Presented with a wall – or website, as it were – of options, how do you select what book to read next? Do you read what your friends and family recommend? Do you linger in a certain subject matter wheelhouse? Are you influenced by book reviews, or (cringes)"as seen on BookTok" stickers? Just curious about how you go about choosing. Among the things I consider: the author. For example, if Erik Larson has a new nonfiction release, then I am automatically kissing about $30 goodbye. But what about you? Hit reply and let me know what gets you to make that purchase and why. And while you're at it, tell me what you're reading and loving right now.

It's Not Hoarding if it's Books

I don't know how many books I own, but I know the number is not insignificant. What I also know is that if someone ever came to me and said I needed to either dial back this fire hazard or get lost, we'd have some serious words. This isn't a fire hazard, after all. It is a library. So when I read about the crisis sparked by the 10,000 volumes Mendel Uminer had in his 600-square-foot studio I felt seen, and perhaps some of you will too.

Things I'm Enjoying

Apparently being late to the game about the singer Baby Rose (Better late than never because WOW, what a voice!), whose new album "Yearnalism" comes out today. Jack White's rollicking "Frozen Charlotte" is out too. And then there's: videos of Spanish footballer Lamine Yamal's little brother, Keyne; discofoot; footgolf; and le freak, c'est soccer chic. Plus? New glasses.