I’ve been reading an interesting book called Skeleton Coast (by JH Marsh) about a liner that ran aground on the Namibian coastline in 1942. It’s way back but it’s a gripping story without much embellishment because the story itself is filled with drama including attempted sea rescues, air rescues, and land convoy rescues over the Namibian desert mountain ranges and sand dunes. But the interesting thing at the end is that some of the rescuers retired shortly after their rescue for health reasons whilst most of the passengers were okay. The crew and passengers’ ordeal began when a hundred or so of them were on the cold windswept and sandy Skeleton Coast with very little food, clothing, bedding, and shelter. Sea rescues might seem far away but a maritime official was talking to some of us the other day and explaining that on the South African coast there are at any one time about four thousand ships and this doesn’t include all the little trawlers and other fishing vessels. He also told us about some of the rescues which also are gripping stories.
Most of the of this non-fiction book is told in a simple and plain style without fluffy words and excessive use of adjectives. I think there was no need for this because the shipwreck and the rescue teams were serious enough not to exaggerate anything.
The story shows writers how to write non-fiction that is factual, accurate and does not strive for effect. It’s not often that a writer lands up with such compelling facts and a gripping story, but it’s a good lesson in writing to not use too many adjectives and overblown descriptions. The reason is simply because they make the story less credible. To write convincingly, writers need to use more than facts. They need to know how to tell a story. The story requires proper sequencing — how to not give away information that will reduce or collapse the suspense in a story. In the book I’ve mentioned, there are occasions where the author does give away information in the chapter headings and introductory ?paragraphs?, and this is unfortunate.
Another thing: make sure your writing is clear and to the point. I found some passages were difficult to read because the writer wasn’t clear. The writer threw a lot of facts at the reader and they became a muddle. Far better for the writer to have ?broken the facts down into more simple sequences to make points crystal clear.
Repetition can be used to reinforce ideas in any writing, but mindless repetition becomes stultifying. I found that the author was repetitive in places and this slowed the story down. Writing non-fiction in an exciting way is a skill that can be learned. If you want to know how to do it yourself in whatever writing form you are going to write, then let me know if you need assistance.
