Writers want their words to ring true.
This, of course, has nothing to do with fiction or non fiction.
This speaks to the sentiment of the written word.
How does it make you feel? Is it boring and flat, or does it speak to the human condition in a way that is just beyond the lips and thoughts of most people?
We are all wanting someone to read what we have written with the realization of:
“Yes! This is exactly what I think – and would have said – had I thought of this truth in that way.”
In my opinion Donald Miller is superb at this.
And for those of us that lived it, I think my list on 7 Things I Learned While Living In Saudi Arabia made a few people feel the same.
Now if I can just just write a few more things that strike people with this pop of truth.
Some people don’t want to hear the truth, of course, but that’s not your problem. What would be is wanting to be a writer without wanting to shoot
straight. Talk, whether ugly or beautiful, is an index of character; it can also be a breath of cool, refreshing air in a room some people would prefer to keep shut up. In the end, the important question has nothing to do with whether the talk in your story is sacred or profane; the only question is how it rings on the page and in the ear. If you expect it to ring true, then you must talk yourself. Even more important, you must shut up and listen to others talk.
-Stephen King, On Writing