Last week I discussed the hero’s story goal in fiction, but if you write nonfiction, especially self-help, you may feel a story goal doesn’t relate to your book.
But story goals do relate to nonfiction in a way many people don’t realize.
People read nonfiction for various reasons, sometimes for the sheer entertainment, but often to learn and grow in a particular area.
More often than I can count, I’ve heard, “God has given me a book to write,” from my blog readers and from writers at conferences.
God has given you a message to share that will help others.
In writing that kind of nonfiction, the hero of your book is your target reader! They want to…
- Raise godly children
- Be a marathon runner
- Have a deeper walk with God
The list is endless. They have a goal and are seeking ways to achieve it. You have the answer.
How Story Elements Relate to Nonfiction
We are all living our own story. We don’t think of our lives as stories, but we are on a hero’s journey nonetheless. We want happy marriages, successful businesses, happy well-rounded children. But along the way we face obstacles in achieving our goal(s).
That is what story is all about!
So let’s dissect the elements I discussed in “The 4 Most Important Elements in Fiction” and see how they equate to nonfiction.
Element #1 What does the hero want?
Keep in mind that your target reader is the hero of your book. His “story goal” is to raise godly children, or run that marathon, or experience that deeper relationship with God.
This story goal presents a problem: they don’t know how to reach the goal.
Element #2 Who or what is opposing the hero getting what he wants?
The obstacles might be external or internal or both. In fiction, obstacles cause conflict. In nonfiction they equate to the reader’s problem in achieving the goal. They are pain points—they cause the reader pain.
- How do I raise my children to serve God?
- I’ve never run a marathon, and I don’t know where to start.
- I read the Bible every day, but I still don’t feel close to God.
They need help in reaching the goal. Enter “you” stage left.
Element #3 Who is the guide who helps our hero reach her goal?
You are the guide! You are Gandalf/Dumbledore/Wizard of Oz of your book. From beginning to end you address the issues, give answers to their questions, offer the encouragement they need. You guide your reader in reaching that goal.
It is essential you know your target reader and the things that cause him pain. Those pain points are the issues you’ll want to address in your book. Understand and express that pain in a way that makes them feel as though you are living their life.
Spend time brainstorming those potential problems, whether they are important enough to address in your book, and whether you can offer advice to solve them.
Element #4 What will the hero’s life look if he does (or does not) get what he wants?
It’s celebration time when we reach a goal! We’ve conquered our inadequacy/problem.
- We’re leading our children to God and what He has for their lives
- We’ve run (or are ready to run) our first marathon
- We experience God’s closeness in a tangible way
In the case of nonfiction, you don’t want you reader to get to the end of your book and not reach that goal. That can happen for various reasons, one being the reader didn’t implement your advice.
But you do not want that reason to be that you failed to deliver what you said you would. That means dissatisfaction with your book, if they finish reading it at all.
If your book is intended to help someone overcome a problem, then you want to ensure that when they reach the end of the book, you have provided the tools they need to attain their goal.
If you approach your nonfiction book in this manner, you will see your role as author in a brand new way, and you’ll be reaching out to your reader in a manner they can relate to.
What will you change in your book after looking at it from this story-goal perspective?
Leave your comments below.