Defining Quality Non-fiction
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What distinguishes bad non-fiction from quality non-fiction?
When you're reading a novel, a work of fiction, and it's not doing it for you, it'll always have an aura of earnestness to it. Because even when a novel is bad, you know that the author took the time to come up with fictional characters, to arrange a plot, develop a world, all to entertain you. And it probably took them months, if not years, to write. It's a little escape for the both of you, right? The author and the listener. And I think there's something kind of romantic about that. Imagine, if aliens were observing us and noticed behavior that the humans partake in, they'd be like, wow, isn't that adorable? They write stories for each other. That's so cute. But again, it doesn't matter if the story is good or bad.
But nonfiction, on the other hand, when it's bad, doesn't have that earnest feeling to it at all. Bad nonfiction feels like you're being lied to. Bad nonfiction feels like you're being talked at by an annoying stranger at the bus stop. Bad nonfiction feels like listening to someone only talk about themselves and never ask about you. Now, to be clear, I'm not saying this to disparage nonfiction entirely. It can be just as engrossing as nonfiction, but it needs a few key elements. Today, we're attempting to define quality nonfiction. This is Audiobook Cafe. I'm Jacob Szymanski. And when I say we, I'm including Mr. Red Sale. He's the host of My Life in Books on AMI-audio, also available as a podcast. He's connecting from London, UK.
What's up, Red? Hi, Jacob. Thanks for having me back on the show. Of course, man. Always. Red comes on the show roughly every two weeks and we do these more topical conversations. And last time around, we talked about... Defining quality prose. And following along those lines, we're doing defining quality nonfiction. And Red, I think we're kind of unique in that we are men who openly prefer fiction, which is not the norm. There's a pretty strong preference among men for nonfiction over fiction. But we want to define what makes quality nonfiction, because I don't know if you agree with me, because I'm not an overly opinionated person, but I feel so strongly when I read bad nonfiction, it drives me nuts.
Bad nonfiction is like the worst sort of art. It's lazy.
I must say, I find bad nonfiction utterly unbearable. And... Good nonfiction makes you forget that you're being taught something. It's more like being guided by a trusted and informed friend. Bad nonfiction is the pub bore who just leans across. I'm going to tell you another thing. And you just can't wait to escape. Whereas good nonfiction actually just feels like going for a fantastic walk with a friend and coming back enlightened.
Let's continue along these lines. These good nonfiction is good nonfiction or bad nonfiction is. I see this as sort of a therapeutic exercise because of how much i hate bad non-fiction so let's let's compile a list together of a do's and don'ts for non-fiction and in the process we're going to give you recommendations for books that we um we think are totally worth a read do you want to go first a do or a don't for non-fiction clarity over cleverness i have chosen to be in that author's book in his world
I want to be educated, informed, enlightened, and I am giving up my time. I don't want a load of waffle. I just want clarity about what he's set out to do. If he's given me a roadmap at the beginning, I expect to be able to take the roadmap without hitting traffic jams of... clever words beautiful adjectives make the words count make the paragraphs count and leave me feeling like i've spent time with an incisive mind the roadmap thing is pretty unique to non-fiction as well and that kind of goes into one of the do's i want to talk about and that's have a purpose no
why you're writing this. Be that to convince, to explain another perspective, to put down to memory, to even expose. But whatever it is, know why you're writing the book. I have read many memoirs where I'm halfway through and I'm asking myself... the hell is the point of this what am i reading like this feels like a vanity project why am i reading this what is the point and i suppose this goes for fiction as well but especially for non-fiction you need to have a purpose and stick to it and that means having that roadmap and don't go off to the side don't do tangents everything has to serve the roadmap the through line have a purpose
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