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Creative Non Fiction
Creative Non Fiction
Creative Nonfiction encompasses many different forms of prose. As an emerging form, CNF is closely
entwined with fiction. Many fiction writers make the cross-over to nonfiction occasionally, if only to write
essays on the craft of fiction. This can be done fairly easily, since the ability to write good prose—beautiful
description, realistic characters, musical sentences—is required in both genres.
Directions: Write FACTS about yourself. Give at least 10. Explain each.
The creative nonfiction writer often incorporates several elements of nonfiction when writing a memoir,
personal essay, travel writing, and so on. The following is a brief explanation of the most common elements of
nonfiction:
Fact. The writing must be based on fact, rather than fiction. It cannot be made up.
Extensive research. The piece of writing is based on primary research, such as an interview or personal
experience, and often secondary research, such as gathering information from books, magazines, and
newspapers.
Reportage/reporting. The writer must be able to document events or personal experiences.
Personal experience and personal opinion. Often, the writer includes personal experience, feelings,
thoughts, and opinions. For instance, when writing a personal essay or memoir.
Explanation/Exposition. The writer is required to explain the personal experience or topic to the reader.
Essay format. Creative nonfiction is often written in essay format. Example: Personal Essay, Literary
Journalistic essay, brief essay.
Directions: Choose three (3) among the elements of Creative Nonfiction and write facts about it(5-10 sentences)
. You can choose your own topic.
Creative nonfiction is about fact and truth. The truth can be about a personal experience, event, or issue in
the public eye. There are many categories or genres to choose from, such as the personal essay, memoir, and
autobiography. The following is a list of the most popular types of creative nonfiction:
Personal Essay. The writer crafts and essay that is based on personal experience or a single event,
which results in significant personal meaning or a lesson learned. The writer uses the first person “I.”
Memoir. The writer constructs a true story about a time or period in his/life, one that had significant
personal meaning and a universal truth. The writer composes the story using the first person “I.”
Literary journalism essay. The writer crafts an essay about an issue or topic using literary devices,
such as the elements of fiction and figurative language.
Autobiography. The writer composes his/her life story, from birth to the present, using the first person
“I.”
Travel Writing. The writer crafts articles or essays about travel using literary devices.
Food writing. The writer crafts stories about food and cuisine using literary devices.
Profiles. The writer constructs biographies or essays on real people using literary devices.
Directions: a. Write a travelogue and make documentation. Two ( 2) places will do --just around your area.
b. Make your own unique dessert recipe that something that you want to eat at this moment
A genre is a broad term that translates from the French to mean ‘kind’ or ‘type.’ In entertainment, this
can translate to horror, romance, science fiction, etc. In general, these types differ for all sorts of reasons, from
the actions in their plots to the feelings they elicit from the audience. However, in literature, there are some
more defined genres. It is important to know which genre a piece of work falls into because the reader will
already have certain expectations before he even begins to read.
Genre, in broad terms, refers to any works that share certain characteristics. If enough characteristics are in
common, then the pieces are said to be in the same genre. In literature, there are four main genres to help the
reader focus their expectations for the piece, though these genres can be broken down even further.
Types of Genre
Poetry
Poetry is the first major literary genre. All types of poetry share specific characteristics. In fact, poetry is a form
of text that follows a meter and rhythm, with each line and syllable. It is further subdivided into different
genres, such an epic poem, narrative, romantic, dramatic, and lyric. Dramatic poetry
includes melodrama, tragedy, and comedy, while other poems includes ode, sonnet, elegy, ballad, song, and
epic.
Drama
Drama is a form of text that is performed in front of an audience. It is also called a play. Its written text contains
dialogues, and stage directions. This genre has further categories such as comedy, tragedy, and tragicomedy
Prose
This type of written text is different from poetry in that it has complete sentences organized into paragraphs.
Unlike poetry, prose focuses on characters and plot, rather than focusing on sounds. It includes short stories and
novels, while fiction and non-fiction are its sub genres. Prose is further categorized into essays, speeches,
sermons, and interpretations.
Fiction
Fiction has three categories that are, realistic, non-realistic, and semi-fiction. Usually, fiction work is not real
and therefore, authors can use complex figurative language to touch readers’ imaginations. Unlike poetry, it is
more structured, follows proper grammatical pattern, and correct mechanics. A fictional work may incorporate
fantastical and imaginary ideas from everyday life. It comprises some important elements such as
plot, exposition, foreshadowing, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
Non-Fiction
Non-fiction is a vast category that also has sub-genres; it could be creative like a personal essay, or factual, like
a scientific paper. It may also use figurative language, however, not unlike poetry, or fiction has. Sometimes,
non-fiction may tell a story, like an autobiography, or sometimes it may convey information to readers.
Other examples of non-fiction include biographies, diaries, memoirs, journals, fantasies, mysteries, and
romances.
Function of Genre
Different genres have different roles. For example, fiction and dramatic genres help students and writers learn
and improve their communication skills. A poetic genre, on the other hand, enhances imaginative and
emotional power of the readers. Non-fictional texts and essays help readers develop analytical and persuasive
capabilities. However, the major function of genre is to establish a code of behavior between the writers and
audience, and keep the readers informed about the topics discussed or the themes presented.
Another way to look at a literary analysis is to consider a piece of literature from your own perspective. Rather
than thinking about the author’s intentions, you can develop an argument based on any single term (or
combination of terms) listed below. You’ll just need to use the original text to defend and explain your
argument to the reader.
Allegory – narrative form in which the characters are representative of some larger humanistic trait (i.e. greed,
vanity, or bravery) and attempt to convey some larger lesson or meaning to life. Although allegory was
originally and traditionally character based, modern allegories tend to parallel story and theme.
William Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily- the decline of the Old South
Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde- man’s struggle to contain his inner
primal instincts
District 9- South African Apartheid
X Men- the evils of prejudice
Harry Potter- the dangers of seeking “racial purity”
Character – representation of a person, place, or thing performing traditionally human activities or functions in
a work of fiction
Look for: Connections, links, and clues between and about characters. Ask yourself what the function and
significance of each character is. Make this determination based upon the character’s history, what the reader
is told (and not told), and what other characters say about themselves and others.
Connotation – implied meaning of word. BEWARE! Connotations can change over time.
confidence/ arrogance
mouse/ rat
cautious/ scared
curious/ nosey
frugal/ cheap
Diction – word choice that both conveys and emphasizes the meaning or theme of a poem through distinctions
in sound, look, rhythm, syllable, letters, and definition
Figurative language – the use of words to express meaning beyond the literal meaning of the words themselves
Metaphor – contrasting to seemingly unalike things to enhance the meaning of a situation or theme
without using like or as
o You are the sunshine of my life.
Simile – contrasting to seemingly unalike things to enhance the meaning of a situation or theme
using like or as
o What happens to a dream deferred, does it dry up like a raisin in the sun
Hyperbole – exaggeration
o I have a million things to do today.
Personification – giving non-human objects human characteristics
o America has thrown her hat into the ring, and will be joining forces with the British.
The iamb stumbles through my books; trochees rush and tumble; while anapest runs like a hurrying brook;
dactyls are stately and classical.
Imagery – the author’s attempt to create a mental picture (or reference point) in the mind of the reader.
Remember, though the most immediate forms of imagery are visual, strong and effective imagery can be used
to invoke an emotional, sensational (taste, touch, smell etc) or even physical response.
Point of View – pertains to who tells the story and how it is told. The point of view of a story can sometimes
indirectly establish the author’s intentions.
Narrator – The person telling the story who may or may not be a character in the story.
First-person – Narrator participates in action but sometimes has limited knowledge/vision.
Second person – Narrator addresses the reader directly as though she is part of the story. (i.e. “You
walk into your bedroom. You see clutter everywhere and…”)
Third Person (Objective) – Narrator is unnamed/unidentified (a detached observer). Does not assume
character’s perspective and is not a character in the story. The narrator reports on events and lets the
reader supply the meaning.
Omniscient – All-knowing narrator (multiple perspectives). The narrator knows what each character is
thinking and feeling, not just what they are doing throughout the story. This type of narrator usually
jumps around within the text, following one character for a few pages or chapters, and then switching to
another character for a few pages, chapters, etc. Omniscient narrators also sometimes step out of a
particular character’s mind to evaluate him or her in some meaningful way.
Rhythm – often thought of as a poem’s timing. Rhythm is the juxtaposition of stressed and unstressed beats in a
poem, and is often used to give the reader a lens through which to move through the work. (See meter and foot)
Setting – the place or location of the action. The setting provides the historical and cultural context for
characters. It often can symbolize the emotional state of characters. Example – In Poe’s The Fall of the House
of Usher, the crumbling old mansion reflects the decaying state of both the family and the narrator’s mind. We
also see this type of emphasis on setting in Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice.
Speaker – the person delivering the poem. Remember, a poem does not have to have a speaker, and the speaker
and the poet are not necessarily one in the same.
Structure (fiction) – The way that the writer arranges the plot of a story.
Look for: Repeated elements in action, gesture, dialogue, description, as well as shifts in direction, focus, time,
place, etc.
Structure (poetry) – The pattern of organization of a poem. For example, a Shakespearean sonnet is a 14-line
poem written in iambic pentameter. Because the sonnet is strictly constrained, it is considered a closed or fixed
form. An open or free form poem has looser form, or perhaps one of the author’s invention, but it is important
to remember that these poems are not necessarily formless.
Symbolism – when an object is meant to be representative of something or an idea greater than the object itself.
Directions: a. Write a tragic drama that complies protagonist, antagonist, minor character, static Character, and
dynamic Character.
Nonfiction, by contrast, is
factual and reports on true
events. Histories, biographies,
journalism, and essays are all considered nonfiction. Usually, nonfiction has a higher standard to uphold than
fiction. A few smatterings of fact in a work of fiction does not make it true, while a few fabrications in a
nonfiction work can force that story to lose all credibility.
1. Writing is reading
The most obvious, and least sexy, tip is that to engage deeply with creative non-fiction you have to read
as many books in this genre as you can. Of course every writer knows, or at least so I hope, that reading for
writers is as important as the writing itself. Yet, in creative non-fiction, reading may play even a more
significant role, because – as mentioned last month – works published in this genre are so diverse, playful,
surprising and elusive to definition, that the best way to understand creative non-fiction is by experiencing it.
I suggest starting with creative non-fiction classics – the likes of Truman Capote’s ‘In Cold Blood’,
Ernest Hemingway’s ‘A Moveable Feast’ and Joan Didion’s ‘Slouching Towards Bethlehem’. It is also not a
bad idea to read some popular creative non-fiction – Gretchen Rubin’s ‘The Happiness Project’, for example.
Finally, read the most adventurous current practitioners, such as Geoff Dyer, Maggie Nelson and David Shields.
If you haven’t read these writers yet, I’m really jealous of you. Reading them is a sort of revelation.
3. Be honest about the limits of your memory, but not too honest
In writing creative non-fiction we often engage with our past. Yet memory, as we all know, is a fickle,
capricious princess. Sometimes it’s worth admitting that our memory is more a suspect than a trustworthy
assistant and to write this tension between truth and fiction into the work. Here is a warning, though –
discoursing on memory has become somewhat of a cliché in creative non-fiction and it is all too easy to slip into
self-indulgence here. I have little patience for memoirs and personal essays where every second sentence
contains qualifications, such as “but maybe the wallpaper was yellow, not brown” or “I don’t remember why I
decided to slap my sister”. My suggestion is to tread lightly in this territory and discuss memory’s puzzling
workings only where it is crucial to the narrative and/or when you can say something fresh on the topic. After
all, what your readers are really after is a good story and thoughtful reflection, not tedious mumbling.
Directions: Write a creative non-fiction story and follow the tips given.
Writing commentary means giving your opinion, interpretation, insight, analysis, explication, personal
reaction, evaluation or reflection about a concrete detail in an essay. You are "commenting on" a point you have
made. Writing commentary is higher level thinking. Commentary is what makes an essay interesting to read.
Writing commentary requires extra effort. It requires you to think! Commentary requires you to think of some
original things (from your brain) to say about your concrete detail. Literature commentary has some rules: • do
not use I, me, my, we, us, • avoid using would, should, could, mayor might Literature commentary discusses
what the concrete detail shows about a character or event in a story. If you get stuck writing commentary, start
your commentary sentences with this shows that _ The result will almost always be commentary. You can
change the phrase "this shows that" in revising your essay.
Directions: Write a commentary, interpretation and analysis in the poem given.
Trees
BY JOYCE KILMER
References:
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/12744/trees