Question: Using a fictional character in a how-to book

[Ian]

Hello everyone,

I am struggling with an issue, and would like to tap the wisdom of Goodreads author community to help find a solution. I'm interested in getting the opinions of fiction writers, but nonfiction writers are welcome to weigh in as well.

I'm in the process of writing my second "how-to" ebook about software. It's aimed at early mainstream audiences -- people who have heard about new software utilities from their early adopter friends or the media, and are interested in trying it out, but don't know where to start. My first was titled Dropbox In 30 Minutes Or Less (TOC can be viewed on the book website). The second title is going to be about Google Drive.

Late last night, as I was reading through the Google Drive draft, I realized how dry it was. I asked myself, would I enjoy reading this? Would I recommend it to a friend? And I had to be honest with myself: Probably not.

Certainly, I believe what I am writing has practical value for readers who want to learn about software. But I also recognize that for nonfiction writing to be great, to inspire, engage, and draw people back, it needs something else.

Traditionally, voice and authority have been those somethings, whether it's for a nonfiction book author, magazine columnist, or blogger. For how-to titles, humor has been a common device. I tried to leverage all of these in my first ebook about Dropbox. The second title is tougher -- the topic requires more explanation, and while I think humor can help make it more digestible, I want to avoid sounding like a second-rate comedian.

Last night, I thought to myself, how about introducing a believable fictional character that could help tell the story about how to use software? The idea is not to use parable, but rather to use this character to make people comfortable with the topic and understand the problems that software is trying to solve.

So, Goodreads authors, what do you think? Is this a valid approach? Would a fictional character help the topic, or just get in the way?

Any thoughts/examples/advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Ian

[Jenelle]

I think that is definitely a valid approach. Take, for example, the BBC show "Top Gear." The show is sort of non-fiction, as it is about cars, and the information in the show is for the most part real (with an entertaining spin most of the time). And while the three presenters on the show are normally hilarious on their own in the way they inform their audience about various vehicles, the fictional character of "The Stig" really helps put the show over the top as entertaining as well as informative (particularly in the earlier seasons).

[Zee]

Agree with Jenelle. I also remember viewing some videos about real spy techniques that was explained and narrated by the character of Michael Westen of Burn Notice (played by actor Jeffrey Donovan). He used humour but got the message and explanations across

[[deleted user]]

One of my favorite early programming books was "Dr. C. Wacko's Miracle Guide to Designing and Programming Your Own Atari Computer Arcade Games" by David L Heller. The author created a family of cartoon characters who showed how & why to program in Basic. It was goofy & fun, but very well laid out. I still remember (25 years later) that it showed the logic for the most elegant joystick controller routine that I've ever seen.

[Ian]

Dear Horace, Zee, and Jenelle,

Thanks for your ideas and advice. It's very interesting that characters can stick in people's minds so vividly, even after many years. I am going to do some experiments with characters over the next few weeks ... I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks

Ian

[[deleted user]]

Good luck with the project, Ian. An easy, engaging how-to book is like a great teacher - they're few & far between. Most people seem to want to skim & miss steps. If you can create a character who behaves much like the normal user & catch them at it with some humor a few times, I'll bet folks would keep coming back for more.

I write a lot how-to stuff, but it's short & aimed at my users in-house, so humor isn't really appreciated. I think that's a shame. I often wish I could draw cartoon characters of some of the people here that I know won't follow directions. They'd be a great example to others.
;-)