Lee Gutkind, founder and editor of Creative Nonfiction magazine, has a good definition and

description. (Emphasis below is mine.)

[Creative Nonfiction magazine] defines the genre simply, succinctly, and accurately as "true
stories well told." And that, in essence, is what creative nonfiction is all about.

In some ways, creative nonfiction is like jazz--it's a rich mix of flavors, ideas, and techniques,
some of which are newly invented and others as old as writing itself. Creative nonfiction can
be an essay, a journal article, a research paper, a memoir, or a poem; it can be personal or
not, or it can be all of these.

The words "creative" and "nonfiction" describe the form. The word "creative" refers to the
use of literary craft, the techniques fiction writers, playwrights, and poets employ[,] to
present nonfiction--factually accurate prose about real people and events--in a compelling,
vivid, dramatic manner. The goal is to make nonfiction stories read like fiction so that your
readers are as enthralled by fact as they are by fantasy. But the stories are true.

[...]

The word "creative" in creative nonfiction has to do with how the writer conceives ideas,
summarizes situations, defines personalities, describes places--and shapes and presents
information. "Creative" doesn't mean inventing what didn't happen, reporting and describing
what wasn't there. It doesn't mean that the writer has a license to lie. The word "nonfiction"
means the material is true. [1]

The knowledge I have gained from completing a Creative Nonfiction course is that it is a
narrative style of writing that involves true life experiences. These creative works rely on
real facts, memory, dialogue and vivid imagery that draws readers in by the influence of the
writer’s narrative voice. I have learned that there are several genres and subgenres some of
which include: memoir, personal essay, literary journalism, portrait, essay of place or travel,
opinion/persuasive essay, and short shorts. For those interested in learning more about this
literary form, I highly recommend the following books: Writing True: The Art and Craft of
Creative Nonfiction by Sondra Perl and Mimi Schwartz and Tell It Slant: Writing and Shaping
Creative Nonfiction by Miller-Paola. Additionally, Creative Nonfiction is a powerful writing
tool that allows you to learn from other human observations.Storytelling use things that
actually happened rather than imagination. Fiction with facts basically. Creative non-fiction
tends to be memoir and short pieces (Mr. Beller's Neighborhood gives good examples of
short creative non-fiction pieces).