Writing non-fiction in First Draft Pro

A round-up of First Draft Pro's non-fiction writing features

I had a professor who once said that you read non-fiction to get the facts, and you read fiction to get the truth. I’ve always loved that concept. It reminds us how important it is to make up stories — and I’m not saying that just because I make up stories.

Of course, both fiction and non-fiction books require storytelling. Without storytelling, a non-fiction book doesn’t ring true. If you’re the kind of person reading this, I’m preaching to the choir.

All this to say: Even non-fiction writers need writing tools that help them figure out the structure, pacing, and connective-story-tissue bits of their book project.

Enter First Draft Pro, stage left.

Write compelling non-fiction with First Draft Pro

Get into the non-fiction zone

First Draft Pro is made for writers of all stripes, so we have settings to suit both fiction and non-fiction projects. 

• Turn on non-fiction mode. Turning on non-fiction settings will tailor your experience to suit your project’s structure. For example, you’ll see references to your preface and sections, rather than prologue and scenes.

• Keep your notes handy. A non-fiction manuscript can be a research-heavy beast! The notes feature makes it easy to keep track of all your reference material in one place. Plus, wiki-style linking means you can effortlessly integrate your notes into your project.

• Manage footnotes and references. Speaking of reference materials, you can also add footnotes and references to your project as you’re working.

TIP You can enable a preface for your non-fiction manuscript in your project options panel. 

Make a solid argument

Word processors aren’t made for storytellers. Writing a book can be a complex, non-linear process. With First Draft Pro, you can track how each idea develops – both independently, and as part of the overarching structure of your book.

From the outline view, you can easily see your sections at a glance. However, for a detailed dive into the individual threads of your narrative, switch over to arguments view.

If you’re writing a book about the history of pockets, you might have one argument about the development of pockets in clothing, another about the political importance of pockets, and another about the uses of pockets (snacks, mostly).

TIP Need to manage your references? Simply highlight the relevant text and click on the footnote function to insert a citation into your manuscript. 

Stay focused

Speaking of snacks, here at First Draft Pro, we like the carrot (cake), rather than the stick. Having something to work towards (and reward yourself for!) helps you stay motivated. Our focus features are set up for just that:

• Set your goals. Stay on track with word count and project goals to keep you motivated. We even build in surprise celebrations for when you hit your targets! (It’s not a carrot, don’t worry. 😉)

• Minimize distractions. First Draft Pro’s clean interface is easy to navigate so that you can spend more time on your words. Between your manuscript, outline, and notes, everything is right where you need it. No more context-switching!

• Go offline. You can keep writing even when you’re offline – great for spotty connections or working on the go. We’ll sync up your changes as soon as you’re back.

Work with others 

Collaboration is sort-of our jam. Whether you’re co-authoring, or sharing your project with an editor, First Draft Pro has the tools to help you work well with others. 

This is especially valuable for book coaches and ghostwriters who need to be able to share the visibility of a non-fiction project and manage feedback effectively.

• Leave comments as you work. Make comments for yourself to come back to, or mention your collaborators to start a discussion thread.

• Turn on suggesting mode. Make suggestions, get feedback from collaborators, and easily roll back to previous versions with track changes. 

• Create a single source of truth. Because your outline, notes, and manuscript are in one place, you have a single shared source of truth that all collaborators on a project can reference.