A mirror image

I often tell my writing students that writing is like holding a mirror up to the world and reporting on what you see.
Suppose you are sitting in a classroom with 25 or 30 other people. You are sitting at tables two or three rows across and two or three rows back. You are all facing the front of the room where there is a large mirror - large enough that you can see images in it, no matter where you are sitting.
In other words, you are all seeing the same thing only from a different angle.
That's exactly what writers do.

Features and benefits

If you want to use your writing to sell something, recognize the difference between the "features" and "benefits" of the product.
If you are describing a toaster that has four slots for bread instead of two, the feature is exactly that - it has four slots for bread instead of two. The benefit - the selling point - is that you get twice as much toast in the same amount of time.
Now let's throw in an offer and a deadline. If you purchase the toaster by March 31, you will receive a free butter knife and dish. But act now. Supplies are limited.
There you have it - the sales pitch - benefit, offer, deadline. If any of that gets your interest, you are more ready to accept what the price is.
Think of the industrious widget salesman. He can offer widgets that you can use at your home or office, any time of the day and night - and guess what? They come in a variety of sizes and colors so they'll be a good match where ever you decide to put them. They usually come in a set of six, but if you order in the next week, we'll send you 12 - twice the number but at the same cost. But you must act now.
That's your writing lesson for today, folks. Hold on to your wallets!

Start with a story

"With nonfiction, you've got your material, and what you're trying to do is tell it as a story in a way that doesn't violate fact but at the same time is structured and presented in a way that makes it interesting to read."
That's quite a sentence from author John McPhee. Let's break it down to its basic elements:
1. Tell a story.
2. Don't violate facts.
3. Give it structure.
4. Present it well.
5. Make it interesting to read.
Some of this may seem easier said than done but it isn't if you take it one step at a time. Start by telling a story. If you can't do that, steps 2-5 are meaningless. If you can, steps 2-5 are not only possible but exciting.

Writing about people

When your subject matter is a person, don't start with the day they were born and end with the day they died. If you do that, you've just covered the two things that are common to all of us.
Look for the uncommon characteristic. Start with an anecdote about the person that will show the reader immediately what the person is like.
A friend of mine wrote a story about a rancher. His first sentence was,"In the morning,the horses ate first." We immediately know the man's priorities before we even know the man.
I have a politician friend who was reading the obituaries on election day. He looked up from the newspaper and said, "I see where Mrs. Smith died. Then he paused and said, "I knew I should have given her an absentee ballot."
Try to find an incident that typifies who it is you're writing about. That's leading by example, literally.