This is the fourth post in a series on blog writing. These posts are based on ideas from a great little book called The Elements of Business Writing
In this short recording, I talk about how to separate fact from fiction in blogging. It comes down to two points.
- Literally separate fact from fiction: place facts first, and opinion second.
- Do not masquerade fact as fiction or vice versa.
Why do you think I’m saying that factual information should be presented first? I’d love to hear what you have to say in the comments.
Can you think of any instances where you have seen fiction presented as fact, or facts presented as though they were ficticious? Let me know in the comments.
The next post in the series is: Simple doesn’t mean Stupid, or, How to Write So Anyone Can Understand You. If you don’t want to miss it, you’d better subscribe!
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi,
This is very useful and it can help you to plan your article structure much better. The order in which you present your ideas in your articles is very important and it can make the difference between a well written article and a chaotic one.
Thank you for this article
Presenting facts first, and then supporting or expanding them, has long been accepted as a basic tenet of non-fiction writing structure. Because of this, many use the format to promote purely fictional ideas, and get away with it due to force of personality or previous acceptance. For credibility, I like to see some sort of citation or reference, as well. It goes a long way, especially if something sounds a little “off” to start with.
I think there’s one example where placing fiction first works well, and that is in using a scary or ideal fictional scenario as the opening of a speech. Once that story is told, you segue to the “nut paragraph” of the speech. The scenario grabs attention and gets the audience thinking. At the end of the speech, you loop back to that opener to reinforce the point.
@Toma – Thanks, man.
@Betsy – True. We can tell when someone is stretching the bounds of credibility when they do it, too, because it’s too much of a leap to make. Citations and references lend instant credibility in some cases, and add a layer of complexity, too. Now we have to judge the credibility of the source. Not that that’s a bad thing. Bloggers are held accountable by their readers.
@Jean – I absolutely agree. As long as we’re still clear on what is fiction and what is fact, there are effects to be achieved by changing the order.