CREATIVE NON-FICTION

Grade Level: Grade 12

SLA02: Nonfiction and its Conventions

Subject Code: HUMSS 04
Subject Title: Creative Nonfiction
Teacher:

I. Let’s get started!

Classify the following literary pieces using the matrix below:

short story biography vignette news report

testimonio six-word story novella travelogue

FICTION NONFICTION

A. Learning Competency
 Write a draft of a short piece (Fiction, Poetry, Drama, etc.) using any of the
literary conventions of genre following this/these pointers:
o Choosing a topic (Q1LC4)

B. Learning Outcomes
1. Distinguish informative nonfiction from literary nonfiction
2. Master the steps in reading and writing creative nonfiction
3. Choose a topic and formulate a thesis statement for the future draft

II. Comparing Notes!

Nonfiction – the branch of literature comprising works of narrative prose dealing with or
offering opinions or conjectures upon facts and reality, including biography, history, and the essay
(opposed to fiction and distinguished from poetry and drama).

Two broad categories of Nonfiction

1. Informative nonfiction
a. written to provide factual information
b. main purpose – to inform
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Grade Level: Grade 12
2.
c. includes: science and history texts, encyclopedias, pamphlets,
brochures, telephone books, maps, atlases, and most of the articles in
magazines and newspapers.
Literary/Creative nonfiction
a. written to be read and experienced in much the same way you
experience fiction.
b. Different from fiction in that real people take the place of fictional
characters, and the settings and plots are not imaginary
c. Includes:
 Autobiography – the true story of a person’s life, told by that
person.

- almost always told in first-person point of view

- usually book length because it covers a long period of the
writer’s life.
- Short autobiographical writings include: journals, diaries, and
memoirs.
 Biographies – the true story of a person’s life told by someone
else.

- the biographer interviews the subject if possible and also

researches the subject’s life
- contains many of the same elements as fiction (character,
setting, plot, conflict).
 Essays – a short piece of nonfiction writing that deals with one
subject.

- often found in newspapers and magazines.

- The writer might share an opinion, try to entertain or
persuade the reader, or simply describe an incident that has
special significance.
- Informal essays, or personal essays, explain how the author
feels about a subject.
- Formal essays are serious and scholarly and are rarely found
in literature textbooks.

Sample Informative Nonfiction

10.9 million Filipinos lost jobs, had lower incomes due to COVID-19 pandemic: ILO

MANILA - Around 10.9 million Filipino workers lost their jobs and had lower incomes and working
hours this year as the COVID-19 pandemic affected the economy, according to a labor report
released Tuesday.

The report showed two thirds or 7.2 million of the 10.9 million vulnerable Filipino workers may be
"displaced" as the Philippines shifts towards online.
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Grade Level: Grade 12
"The impact of the crisis has been far-reaching, with underemployment surging as millions of
workers are asked to work reduced hours or no hours at all," the International Labor Organization
(ILO) said in a report.

High-risk sectors with most displacements include manufacturing, transportation and storage,
accommodation and food service activities, as well as arts, entertainment, and recreation.

Christian Viegelahn, a senior economist at ILO Asia-Pacific, said employment recovery "will take
some time" as with the process of vaccinating every people.

He added that the bounce-back of the tourism-heavy economies like the Philippines would
depend on the confidence of travelers which is hinged on vaccination.

For the Asia-Pacific region, the ILO report said around 81 million jobs were lost this year, which
can bring up the unemployment rate in the region to as high as 5.7 percent from 4.4 percent in
2019.

Incomes also decreased by up to 10 percent in the first three quarters of 2020, which meant that
22 million to 25 million workers may go beyond the poverty line, the report cited.

Working hours fell by an estimated 15.2 percent in the second quarter, and 10.7 percent in the
third quarter, compared to pre-COVID levels.

These factors led to a higher number of 98 million "working poor" in the Asia-Pacific region this
year. Working poor are classified as people living on less than $1.90 or around P90 a day,
according to the ILO.

Sara Elder, another senior economist at the ILO Asia-Pacific, said governments in the Asia-Pacific
including the Philippines need to invest more in social protection, employment programs, and
services to help job seekers.

"We need the economy to start heating up and job creation to heat up so that those persons who
are not just unemployed but outside of the labor market to also be reabsorbed into jobs," Elder
said.

Official unemployment data in the Philippines reported 3.8 million jobless Filipinos as of October,
on the back of persisting effects of the pandemic.

Earlier reports by Social Weather Stations and Asian Development Bank also pointed to a higher
number of jobless Filipinos and lower incomes in the country.
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Grade Level: Grade 12

Sample Creative Nonfiction

Cleaner Who Lost Job During COVID Pandemic Wins $59 Million Lottery Jackpot

Showing that sometimes your luck can turn on a dime, a man in Australia who worked as a
cleaner to pay the bills after he lost his job during a COVID shutdown is celebrating a multi-
million-dollar lottery win.

The unnamed man from north Melbourne held the only winning ticket in Thursday night's
Powerball draw and his $AUS 80 million ($59 million) windfall made him the biggest ever winner
in the state of Victoria, and the third biggest in his country's history.

He had bought his ticket online at OzLotteries.com and when he saw his numbers come up, which
were 17, 10, 4, 26, 19, 23, 21 and 7, he faced a sleepless night until the money hit his bank
account.

"I lost my job during one of the many lockdowns here in Melbourne," he said, according to 7
News. "We had only just bought a home and didn't see it coming. I've been working as a cleaner
ever since to make ends meet."

On Thursday, Melbourne was due to end its sixth lockdown since the pandemic began.

However, after 20 new COVID cases were reported, Victoria state Premier Dan Andrews said stay-
at-home orders for Australia's second city would remain in place until at least August 19.

Andrews said there was too much uncertainty around new COVID cases and "too many
unanswered questions...for us to safely come out of lockdown now," Australia's ABC News
reported.

The number of infections in the South Pacific country is relatively low compared with the rest of
the world, with around 37,000 cases and the death toll hitting 944 on Wednesday.

However, less than a quarter of the population is vaccinated and stop-start lockdowns are
continuing across the country, risking further job losses and a recession, according to Reuters.

It means that the lottery win couldn't have come at a better time. As well as paying off his
mortgage and setting up his children for life, the winner wanted his prize to do good for others.

"Like for so many people, these lockdowns have been really tough for our family," the man said. "I
am going to try and help everyone."

Powerball, operated under the master brand The Lott, is Australia's biggest official jackpotting
lottery and the chances of winning the jackpot are thought to be over 134 million to one. Unlike
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U.S. lotteries, the winnings aren't taxed.

"There's so much we will be able to do with this prize," he said, "It will change so many people's
lives."

Strategies for Reading Nonfiction

1. Preview the selection. Look at the title, pictures, diagrams, subtitles, and
any words or terms in boldfaced or italic type. All of these will give you an
idea of what the selection is about.
2. Figure out the organization. If the work is a biography or autobiography, the
organization is probably chronological (in the order in which things happen).
3. Separate facts and opinions.
4. Question as you read. Ask yourself “Why did things happen the way they
did? How did the people in the literary work feel? What is the writer’s
opinion? Do you share the writer’s opinion, or do you have different ideas
on the subject?”
5. During your reading, stop now and then and try to predict what will come
next.
6. As you read, build on your understanding. Add new information to what
you have already learned and see if your ideas and opinions change.
7. Continually evaluate what you read. Evaluation should be an ongoing
process. Remember that evaluation means more than saying a selection is
good or bad. Form opinions about people, events, and ideas that are
presented. Decide whether or not you like the way the information is
presented.

Guidelines for Writing Creative Nonfiction

Here are six simple guidelines to follow when writing creative nonfiction:

1. Get your facts straight. It doesn’t matter if you’re writing your own story or
someone else’s. If readers, publishers, and the media find out you’ve taken
liberties with the truth of what happened, you and your work will be scrutinized.
Negative publicity might boost sales, but it will tarnish your reputation; you’ll
lose credibility. If you can’t refrain from fabrication, then think about writing
fiction instead of creative nonfiction.

2. Issue a disclaimer. A lot of nonfiction is written from memory, and we all know
that human memory is deeply flawed. It’s almost impossible to recall a
conversation word for word. You might forget minor details, like the color of a
dress or the make and model of a car. If you aren’t sure about the details but
are determined to include them, be upfront and include a disclaimer that
clarifies the creative liberties you’ve taken.
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Grade Level: Grade 12
3. Consider the repercussions. If you’re writing about other people (even if they
are secondary figures), you might want to check with them before you publish
your nonfiction. Some people are extremely private and don’t want any details
of their lives published. Others might request that you leave certain things out,
which they want to keep private. Otherwise, make sure you’ve weighed the
repercussions of revealing other people’s lives to the world. Relationships have
been both strengthened and destroyed as a result of authors publishing the
details of other people’s lives.

4. Be objective. You don’t need to be overly objective if you’re telling your own,
personal story. However, nobody wants to read a highly biased biography. Book
reviews for biographies are packed with harsh criticism for authors who didn’t
fact-check or provide references and for those who leave out important
information or pick and choose which details to include to make the subject
look good or bad.

5. Pay attention to language. You’re not writing a textbook, so make full use of
language, literary devices, and storytelling techniques.

6. Know your audience. Creative nonfiction sells, but you must have an interested
audience. A memoir about an ordinary person’s first year of college isn’t
especially interesting. Who’s going to read it? However, a memoir about
someone with a learning disability navigating the first year of college is quite
compelling, and there’s an identifiable audience for it. When writing creative
nonfiction, a clearly defined audience is essential.

III. Self-learning Activities

A. Activity 1: Considering your prior knowledge and the topic discussed above,
compare and contrast fiction and nonfiction through a Venn diagram.

FICTION NONFICTION
CREATIVE NON-FICTION
Grade Level: Grade 12

B. Activity 2: Creative nonfiction is like jazz—it’s a rich mix of flavors, ideas, and
techniques, some newly invented and others as old as writing itself. Do the activity
below to gather information needed in writing your story.

1. What's Your Story? Think about a time you faced a challenge in your life.
Brainstorm a list of 5 moments that could be developed into a story.

2. Setting: Where is the setting of each of these moments? Where did the
moments take place? Pick one of the moments from question #1 and
describe the setting, either writing your description down on paper or telling
it to a partner.

3. Characterization: Who were the important characters in the moment you

chose to describe? You were probably one of the characters. How would
you describe yourself to someone who has never met you? What other
characters are important to your story? Describe them to someone who has
never met them.

4. Plot: Write a list of the important events of the story. You can use bullet
points or numbers to track these events. What led up to the conflict of your
story? What happened during the challenge? What happened after the
challenge, or how did you resolve it? What did you learn through this
experience?

5. Title: What title would you give your story?

IV. Extension of learning:

Visit the link posted below for more additional insights about how to write creative
nonfiction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFZyQ-zkCJw