A version of this article first appeared on Entrepreneur on June 9, 2021.
I just finished reading Matthew Mcconaughey’s autobiographical book Greenlights and it has quickly found its way onto my “Best Books Ever Read” shelf.
A few things came out at me in the prose that I think all nonfiction writers can learn from to make their own books better.
1. Be a writer
Matthew McConaughey is a long-term, experienced writer (a fact I did not know), and this came out clearly in his prose. Stellar writing is something learned through years of practice.
A common reason new business writers struggle to write and eventually hire a ghostwriter is that they simply haven’t put in the time to learn the craft of writing.
McConaughey wrote poetry as a boy and then started writing short stories. It was this proclivity for telling tales that led him, ultimately, to a career in Hollywood.
But he was first a writer.
If you want to write a top-quality nonfiction book, being an experienced writer is essential. Start small if you’re new to writing. Write blog posts, contribute to online magazines, or just spend thirty minutes writing for your own pleasure before or after work.
2. Know your voice
Anyone who has watched McConaughey’s movies or seen him give a speech knows he has an extremely unique voice. By “voice,” I mean his way of speaking—his slang, colloquialisms, sentence structure, general attitude, etc.
I’ve always loved his style, and I was pleased as Punch when it came across so clearly in his book.
Whether you’re working with a ghostwriter or writing your book alone, getting your unique voice to come across in your manuscript is essential to making your book authentic and entertaining.
Related: 5 Pitfalls to Avoid When Writing Your First Business Book
3. Be creative, have fun, writing is art
McConaughey’s book is written in a narrative nonfiction style, each scene building on the previous one, and some degree of a story arc in place. There is tension, strong emotion, excellent suspense and mystery, and all the good stuff you subconsciously learn when you’re exposed to a lot of good stories in your life.
But McConaughey added a creative twist which I thought was genius: Between chapters, he throws in self-created “prescriptions,” “bumper stickers,” and “notes to self.” These prescriptions, bumper stickers, and notes to self range from the absurd to the hilarious to the deeply philosophical. They are an artistically pleasing literary device that harks back slightly to the epigraph, but McConaughey gives it a unique twist.
This artistic touch helped to keep my interest throughout the story, making me want to keep reading just to get to the next prescription, bumper sticker, or note to self!
The lesson here is that writing is an artistic activity. And writers of business books and nonfiction can increase the emotional impact of their books by producing something aesthetically pleasing.
Get creative when writing your nonfiction book. Add elements that are uniquely you and which make people sit up, pay attention, and keep reading.
Related: This Is Why Reading Fiction Can Help You Write Better Business Books
4. Tell an incredible story
And then there’s the fact that McConaughey’s life is a wild romp of adventure, filled with more daring feats and tales that most people wouldn’t experience in several lifetimes. From floating on his back on the Amazon River to fighting (and gaining the respect of) a local African warrior, to slumming it in sundry trailer parks for years in an effort to remain real, McConaughey’s life naturally contains all the elements of a thrilling read.
Many of us mere mortals cannot boast such an exciting life, but that doesn’t mean our books have to be boring.
Exciting stories can be written in a boring manner just as “boring” stories can be written thrillingly.
There are multiple ways to make an inherently slow story more exciting. One way is to include anecdotes of others. Another way is to add suspense to the writing by making the outcome uncertain.
Your book’s target market also has something to do with it. What one demographic considers thrilling might not be considered thrilling by another. A CEO might consider the days and weeks before a merger some of the tensest times of his or her life! But an employee lower down on the chain probably wouldn’t be too thrilled to read about this in a book.
By simply writing about what your market considers thrilling, you can create an exciting book for them, and so keep them reading. A book that is never read is as useful as a book that was never written.
