The Importance of Character in Narrative Nonfiction

Narrative nonfiction, also known as creative nonfiction, is a genre that combines the storytelling techniques of fiction with the factual accuracy of nonfiction to tell real-life stories. One of the key elements in this genre is the use of characters, which helps to bring the story to life and make it more engaging and relatable. Here are some ways in which characters are important in narrative nonfiction:

1. Creating empathy: Characters are essential for creating empathy and connection with the reader. By including information about a character's thoughts, feelings, and actions, the reader can better understand and relate to the story.

2. Building tension: Characters can also be used to build tension and conflict in a story. By including information about a character's goals, motivations, and obstacles, the reader can become more invested in the story and be more likely to keep reading.

3. Showing multiple perspectives: Characters can be used to show multiple perspectives on a topic, which can help to provide a more complete understanding of the story and can also be used to show different sides of a conflict or issue.

4. Enhancing credibility: Characters can also be used to enhance the credibility of a nonfiction book. By including real people as characters, the author can demonstrate that the story is based on real events and real people, which can make the story more believable to the reader.

5. Enriching the narrative: Characters can also be used to enrich the narrative by adding new information or insights to the story. This can help to make the story more interesting and engaging, and can also help to give the story a more personal touch.

It's important to note that not all narrative nonfiction books will have characters in traditional sense, some nonfiction may not have any person as main subject, but still it's important to consider the people involved in the story, whether they are the author, the readers, or the sources. Characters in nonfiction can be real people, groups, or even institutions that play a role in the story.