Caro Clarke

My Manifesto
for non-fiction writing

1.   

I believe that non-fiction writing should know its purpose. Every word in that piece of writing should drive that purpose. I rewrite until I am satisfied that nothing will stop my reader from understanding what I need to say to them. Clarity, simplicity, structure: what all good non-fiction writing should have, but which, too often, it lacks.

2.   

Non-fiction does not mean non-interesting. Text that gives information should be as entertaining as fiction and as easy to absorb as a good conversation. I try to write in the way I like to be spoken to: clearly. My sentences and vocabulary will change depending on whether my readers are children or archaeologists, but what I write is always approachable and understandable.

3.   

I believe in consistency in style and layout. The style should suit the layout. This is important but often overlooked: people write for a website in the same way they do for a book, or for a brochure in the same way as for an internal report. Knowing the final look and feel (will it have illustrations? how will the leaflet open up?) is essential, and I always find this out when structuring a piece of writing for 'pace' and coherence.

4.   

Non-fiction should always be written to a plan. Much bad writing starts when a pen moves before the brain thinks. I plan, then write.

5.   

I check my facts. And, like Santa, I check them twice. Or three times. I check until I am satisfied that all information given is correct. Not just the number of toes on a Tyrannosaurus Rex, but also telephone numbers of contacts, times and dates, names and addresses. If people are relying on the information that I am supplying, it is important that I get it right.

6.   

Proof-reading is not a quick read-through, it is the careful checking of each individual line. I use standard proof-readers' techniques for checking not only the text, but also the layout: checking the running heads, page numbers, consistency of typefaces, style of divisional breaks, and every other aspect of the physical text. Proof-reading is not for the faint-hearted.

7.   

I believe that the best non-fiction writing is so suitable to its purpose and is so lucidly graceful that it is a pleasure to read and enhances the organisation which commissioned it in the eyes of all right-thinking people who read it.

Contact me:  writing@caroclarke.com

back to homepage

to top of page