I have numerous memories of rhubarb. As a very young child, I would help my great-grandfather harvest his very prolific rhubarb patch. This rhubarb is the foundation of my rhubarb patch today, 50 years later. Just as prolific and overgrown as my great-grandfather’s, my rhubarb is over a century old. The rhubarb I have is also known as heritage rhubarb, though some people call it strawberry rhubarb as the stalks are very red. Whenever I serve rhubarb pie to guests, I listen to the praise. When asked my secret ingredient, I answer, “It’s my great-grandfather’s rhubarb.” And the recipe? “My great- grandmother’s pie.” 

Creative nonfiction? Fiction? Or nonfiction? Perhaps it’s a combination of at least two of the three possibilities. It certainly isn’t fiction. In fact, it might be worth more than my fiction which, although I enjoy writing, only averages pennies in royalties, while a story like this one garners a decent payment up front and is not dependent on the marketing value of the piece.

I’m not alone in my desire to carve out a niche for myself in the world of fiction. Every author wants to write the next big blockbuster, best selling novel. But have you ever considered writing nonfiction instead of fiction? There are many pros to writing nonfiction, the most significant one being that nonfiction actually outsells fiction. And, surprisingly, it’s easier to sell nonfiction than it is to sell fiction. It’s a great way to start a writing career, one that will pay long before your novel hits the top ten.

Nonfiction doesn’t have to be dull and heavily laden with facts. Nonfiction can tell a story, too. The benefits of writing (and selling) nonfiction is more than just the upfront financial gain. Nonfiction provides a means for any writer to lay his or her foundation in writing skills. Why? Well, for one thing, nonfiction has fewer writing rules to follow and it’s an easier market to break into. It’s also quicker to write (unless you’re working on the 500-page book-length nonfiction) and there is an almost endless supply of subjects to choose from. You don’t have to be an expert in every topic because there are enough topics that you will excel at. And, it doesn’t require dialogue, which, for many writers, is a stumbling block.

When I say, nonfiction writing is the foundation of all writing skills, I speak from experience. The knowledge I have gained from writing nonfiction has found its place in my fiction. All those articles, essays, letters, memoirs, and stories I’ve written over the years on gardening, music, art, cooking and so much more, have added interesting dimensions to my fiction plots: settings, characters, and multiple descriptive details.

So, where do I find my ideas? Well, they’re all around me. I have a lot of interests, as I’m sure most creative-minded writers do, so I focus on my interests. I do my research online, but a lot of what I write comes from hands-on experience: in the garden, in the kitchen, at the piano, and so on. I also look for tips from news articles. Believe it or not, Facebook is a great place to pick up ideas. Some of my garden stories started with a FB shared photo of an unusual plant.

And where are these markets? You would think with the decline of print media, there’d be fewer markets. Actually, there’s more. I still publish in various print magazines, but most of my nonfiction stories are published online: paying blogs, and online publications being the best way to break into the nonfiction market and get paid as well. However, be careful, there are a lot of non-paying blogs and online publications. If they don’t post in the submission guidelines a pay scale, then they probably don’t pay their writers. Then it becomes a personal choice: to write for free or get paid. I stick to paying markets as I firmly believe our creative output is as valuable as the next person’s and our time is money, too.

Remember, if you’re writing nonfiction, make sure you credit your sources of information. Never claim someone else’s work as your own. That’s plagiarism.

Writing nonfiction has opened many doors for me. Not only am I getting published regularly (and paid), but I also get to add a byline to every story published. Free publicity! Give it a try. You never know what doors will be opened for you once you start writing (and publishing) nonfiction.