Does your writing bank comprise various blog posts, journal entries, letters, sheaves of thoughts and notes? And are you now struggling to come with some sort of structure or arc to turn these into a book?
One option is to STOP forcing this content into some sort of structure and instead let its power come from the composition, message, and intention of each entry.
There are two further options within this approach: 1) turn them into a book of essays or letters 2) create a hybrid genre.
Let’s take a look at each of these and see which one you think would suit your book best.
Personal essays and letters
I’m starting with essays or letters because I’d argue this is more straightforward to pull together than the hybrid genre. This works well if you have a collection of blog posts, journal entries, articles, or letters that you can collate into one volume.
Essays as letters
A collection of essays can be easier to work on than a hybrid genre, and a collection of letters is a more straightforward version of essay writing.
If you want to go for the letter option but you’ve never actually written a letter to anyone, you can frame your current content into letters. Dawn French took this approach with her first memoir, Dear Fatty, when she wrote letters to various people in her life (Jennifer Saunders, her dad, David Cassidy…), gradually revealing more as the book progresses about her coming to terms with her father’s suicide when she was 19.
Giovanna Fletcher wrote Letters on Motherhood, writing to her children, family, husband, but also other concepts and objects including her vagina (‘Dear Fanny’). In both examples, it’s unlikely these authors had these letters lying around, ready to quickly whip into a book, but I bet some of them originated from blog posts, journal entries, scribbles, and diary entries. Perhaps they hadn’t previously shared all of these with the wider public (especially diary entries), but they were still written down in some format as a way to unpick their feelings about certain experiences and people.
In 2022, I worked on a book called Dear Tilly… A Survival Guide for Womanhood by Rachel Ann Cullen. Rachel’s aim here was to write a book purely for her daughter (if she sold copies while doing so, then great, but that wasn’t the main motivation for writing and publishing). The book is divided into eight parts, including topics like ‘Boys & Dating’, ‘Serendipity’, and ‘Everyday Misogyny’. Each chapter then starts with a introductory paragraph addressed to Tilly, outlining the main theme of the upcoming chapter, followed by an anecdote or two to support Rachel’s aim for that particular lesson, followed by a letter to Tilly summing up her reflections since the events of the chapter.
How to organise a book of letters
I remember discussing with Rachel whether she wanted to divide her book into parts and name each part, or let the reader spot the flow and theme developing throughout the book. We decided to be explicit with the book as this suited the framework of a ‘guidebook’ and we also thought other readers could then pick and choose which chapters to read first.
While there is less pressure to sort the order of letters or essays (sometimes no order at all can work), a safe bet is to sort them into a loose thematic commonality. Don’t worry if there’s crossover between the themes, just stick to the main theme of each (‘thoughts on anxiety’, ‘embarrassing stories’, ‘friendship’, ‘hopes for the future’). As above, you can name these themes in the book or let your reader decide.
If you take the letter approach, I encourage you to end each letter in the same way. If you decide to write to various people, you could adopt a different sign-off for each letter according to the addressee, but your reader will soon anticipate a certain ending and find comfort in that, as if you are writing to them, as well as the addressee.
Personal essays: what to consider
I’ll be honest here, writing personal essays is more intricate and subtle than using the letter form. When writing letters, the length is fairly manageable (anything from a couple of hundred to a couple of thousand words) and the subject doesn’t need to expand massively.
With essays, there needs to be a clear central argument that develops, pivots, and encourages your reader to think about their own opinion on the subject matter. Cohesion and eloquence is key here. (Of course, I’m not saying that letters are not cohesive or eloquent, but they tend to be more informal than essays.)
Essays are more akin to short stories, but in non-fiction form. Within the personal essay, there are (like with any writing) various ways to approach it: non-linear, poetic, a set of instructions, telling a personal, emotional, or funny anecdote.
Some writers find writing essays just pours out of them, for others it’s a case of trial and error, honing their craft by studying published essays to glean a sense of what makes those examples so captivating. Writing blog posts is a fantastic way to get started with essay writing. There are often short-form literary competitions (usually anywhere between 800 to 5,000 words), which for non-fiction could take the form of an essay. Both of these are ideal options for getting feedback from the public and professionals to see if you have the knack for essay writing.
Hybrid genre
Another option when collating your haphazard thoughts or existing content is either purposefully writing a hybrid genre or allowing your book to become hybrid in its nature. Hybrid genre is also known as cross-genre, multi-genre, mixed genre, or fusion genre.
As with the personal essay, this approach involves nuance and a delicate touch, rather than just letting the pieces fall where they may. The final result should certainly look as though there is no sense of order, but behind the scenes a lot of thought has gone into where certain pieces should go. In fact, I’d argue that achieving a successful hybrid genre is more difficult than the personal essay approach, but that doesn’t mean it’s not possible (and when done right, the results are just phenomenal).
What is a hybrid genre?
The hybrid genre occurs in both fiction and non-fiction. In fiction, think ‘romcom’, ‘supernatural horror’, and the oh-so-popular ‘romantasy’. In non-fiction, the hybrid element comes more from the voice and format of the content, as I’ll illustrate below.
Non-fiction hybrid examples
Matt Haig is the champion of hybrid non-fiction. In all three of Matt Haig’s books on mental health (Reasons to Stay Alive, Notes on a Nervous Planet, The Comfort Book) he includes anything from a short poem to specific details of his mental health to a recipe. As I mentioned above, here, the beauty of these books is how it is organised. Without realizing it, you (the reader) are taken on a specific tour of Matt’s thoughts and feelings, rather than scrabbling around blindly for meaning and sense.
Donna Ashworth’s books are always categorized under ‘poetry’, which certainly comprises the main premise of each volume, but on closer inspection she includes short sections of prose alongside meaningful sound bites.
I cannot wait to read Theory & Practice by Michelle de Kretser, described as her ‘most experimental book yet’, blending fiction and essay writing. I recently spotted All the Lives We Ever Lived by Katharine Smyth, which intertwines memoir, literary criticism, and biography, but as this particular book hinges on a love of Virgina Woolfe, I need to read more Virgina Woolfe before I can read this one!
Ideas for hybrid non-fiction books
The most straightforward elements to add to your non-fiction book to explore the concept of hybrid is to include recipes, instructions, or poems, but sprinkled throughout the book, rather than collating them in an appendix or separate chapter. For example, if you’re exploring the concept of comfort, then what can be more comforting than a soup recipe? Or you could pop in some instructions for getting fresh air after a letter or section on stress.
How to make essays and hybrid non-fiction work for you
At first glance, it seems like compiling a bunch of letters, writing separate essays, or not having to stick a specific genre is the easy option. More accurately, both the essay and hybrid option are not usually the easy option but can often be the right option.
No doubt at some point (or several) your head will get in a complete muddle over this: where should this letter go? How do I avoid it reading like a police report of accounts of my life? Does this just look a messy heap?
You know there’s a solution here, right? It’s working with a book editor. You will need someone objective but experienced who can advise you on the order and flow, which content is superfluous, if there are any themes missing. The beauty of a collection of essays, letters, or a hybrid book is that once it’s published, your reader will be able to be able to dip in and out of it, but also find the greatest value when they read every single word you’ve taken such care to write.
The final piece that will contribute to its success will be the way you market it. You’ll want your reader to know the approach to this book has been thought-out and deliberate. Elements like your book blurb and webpage description will be crucial here (think phrases like ‘a blend of…’, ‘allow yourself to be carried away…’, ‘join [author name] on their exploration of [subject matter/themes]’).
You may have guessed, but I bloomin’ LOVE these approaches, so if that’s something you’d like to explore for your non-fiction book, get in touch for a chat! Also be sure to have a look at some the following to see what you think of the final result.
Recommended reading list
Matt Haig Reasons to Stay Alive, Notes on a Nervous Planet, The Comfort Book
Donna Ashworth I Wish I Knew
Dawn French Dear Fatty
Giovanna Fletcher Letters on Motherhood
Rachel Ann Cullen Dear Tilly… A Survival Guide for Womanhood
Emilie Pine Notes to Self
Zadie Smith Intimations: Six Essays
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