This is a guest post by Micheal Woodruff, a neurodivergent ghostwriter who has been writing fiction and non-fiction for over three decades. His “out of the box” approach gives him a unique perspective on characters and subjects for his projects. You can find more info about Micheal’s work at https://affectachange.org or https://neurodivergentlife.substack.com. You can also find him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter (@mdwoodruff).
Some people enjoy reading non-fiction. Give them the facts, historical implications, and as many of the dry, bland details as exist.
Others enjoy fiction. They want to hear the story behind the person and the circumstances they’re in. Fiction readers want to escape their reality and enter a world unlike theirs. Sometimes they like to switch back and forth between the two.
As writers, we can sometimes get caught up in our typical genre or style of writing. When we share with others that we’re writers, they often ask if we write fiction or non-fiction. When someone asks me this, I answer “yes.”
The idea that we are only allowed to write one or the other goes along with the idea that we can only like one or the other. Do you watch movies? Do you also watch documentaries or news? Fiction and non-fiction writing don’t have to be mutually exclusive–even when it’s about the same topic.
When writing fiction, we often incorporate nonfiction elements. The more realistic a fictional piece of work is, the more believable it becomes. The “that could happen” aspect draws us in and encourages us to pay attention.
Along those lines, you also have docudrama, which takes nonfiction information such as history and presents it in a narrative format. Most of the time, they’re entertaining as well as informative. It becomes a way to dispense boring factual information in a way that allows the mind to absorb it in a fun and fantastical way.
Reading a list of facts about pirates might be informative, but reading a story about those pirates, well, shiver me timbers. Now I’m interested!
Just as reading about ADHD can be drab sometimes, depending on the writer, so can writing about it. How many different ways can you present the same psychological information in a nonfiction format before it becomes boring? We can tell how a person feels or what a person might be going through, but does it really make an impact? The nonfiction pieces only touch the logical part of the brain but ignore so many other parts.
A good writer gives you the information. A great writer helps you connect with that information. That’s where switching things up comes in handy.
Have you ever wondered what it might feel like inside the mind of someone with ADHD? I don’t have to wonder because I deal with it every day. However, for readers who don’t deal with it personally, how can I explain it in a way they can connect with? By creating characters.
In an article called A Day in My ADHD Mind, I write about the different aspects of my thought patterns. Each has their own distinct personality and way of doing things. It’s a short article, but it helps to explain to those who don’t understand some of what those with ADHD have to deal with. It’s fiction based on reality.
Why did I write it and put it with the non-fiction articles? Because sometimes you just need to shake the dust off boring facts. Sometimes you need to dive into the imagination to see the same things from a different angle.
Life is like a kaleidoscope. Every time you change your perspective, you discover something new. Giving life to stagnant facts through fiction not only makes them more interesting–it also invigorates the thrill that got you writing about them in the first place.