Chekhov's gun in nonfiction
There are two fundamental problems I keep seeing in nonfiction writing: 1. Content that says too much This can take the form of obvious statements, tangents, bloated context, or points the writer finds more interesting than the reader ever will. 2. Content that says too little This shows up as vague generalities, missing specifics, or ideas introduced too late for the reader to understand or care. Both come from the same issue: the writer not being clear on what the reader needs - or when they need it. A useful fix comes from Anton Chekhov, the playwright and short story writer. His advice has become a rule for foreshadowing in fiction, but it’s even more useful in nonfiction. It’s known as Chekhov’s gun: “Remove everything that has no relevance to the story. If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there.” The core principle: If...
