Writing a Non-fiction Book: Capture Real-life Experiences
A course by Duncan Barrett , Writer and Editor
Turn a true story into an engaging page-turner by exploring interview methods, writing techniques, and character development for non-fiction writing
Turn a true story into an engaging page-turner by exploring interview methods, writing techniques, and character development for non-fiction writing
Through non-fiction, we can write true-life books that are as vivid and engaging as novels while connecting readers to stories of real people, just like them. Specializing in narrative non-fiction, writer and editor Duncan Barrett does exactly that. He creates testaments to lives and stories that might otherwise be forgotten while writing engaging page-turners. His bestselling work includes The Sugar Girls and GI Brides, and his book Men of Letters was nominated for the People's Book Prize.
In this course, he teaches how to mix interview methods with writing techniques from fiction. Discover how to build background and weave key themes throughout your narrative and your characters. Learn how to take the tales of ordinary people and translate them into powerful literature.
What will you learn in this online course?
16 lessons & 22 downloads
- 100% positive reviews (53)
- 1,519 students
- 16 lessons (3h 39m)
- 22 additional resources (12 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English
- English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Create a sample chapter of a book you want to write about a real-life story and a book proposal that serves as a detailed outline of the book.
Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone with an interesting true story to tell, who wants to learn how to write it.
Requirements and materials
No previous experience is required. All you need is a real-life story you want to share in the form of a book.
Reviews
A course by Duncan Barrett
Writer and Editor Duncan Barrett grew up as an avid reader and a lover of history. After studying English literature at university he went to drama school and decided to pursue a career as an actor, while working in publishing on the side. In 2009 Duncan found a WW1 memoir in the Imperial War Museum archive that he turned into a published book, The Reluctant Tommy.
The insight he gained in writing an impactful book-length story sparked a chain of events that led him to become an author of narrative non-fiction specializing in biography and memoir. His work includes the series’ The Sugar Girls and GI Brides which he wrote with his partner and which appeared in the The Sunday Times and The New York Times bestsellers’ lists. Duncan is also known for his solo titles such as Men of Letters, which was nominated for the People's Book Prize, Hitler's British Isles, and Ronnie Le Drew's showbiz memoir Unzipped. He also writes features for The Guardian.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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U2
Digging for Gold
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First Contact 1
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First Contact 2
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Breaking It Down
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The Follow up Interview
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The Bigger Picture
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What Have You Got?
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U3
Shaping the Story
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Acting Up
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Chapters
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Characters
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Seeding
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Pen to Paper
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U4
What’s Next?
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Rewriting and Editing
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How to Sell Your Story
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How to Self Publish
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FP
Final project
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Writing a Non-fiction Book: Capture Real-life Experiences
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.
All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.
The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.
You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.
andrewg72
Brilliant course, love it.
claudiairagan
Another course on writing that I enjoy and love! This course is well organized and invites you as the writer to listen and tell others stories. Sharing stories to inspire and to connect is the perfect combination for me. Highly recommend this course!
eduarruda
Bem interessante.
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monicabarroncepeda
Simplemente maravilloso. Excelente curso totalmente recomendado. Un curso completo, bien explicado, lleno de buenos consejos. En verdad imperdible.
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7969skfp25
PlusExcellent course. Highly recommended. Duncan is methodical and highly engaging in his presentation of this step-by-step guide. He clearly knows what he is talking about and can relate his knowledge and experience well. I took this and another course on memoir writing to check out domestika and I’m really impressed!