CREATIVE NON-FICTION (HUMSS –
Shaping – a reflection can be taken from
Specialization Subject)
TOPIC II – CONTENT IN WRITING CREATIVE
NONFICTION
In writing creative nonfiction, it should precise
and well-researched information, should stir the
interest of the reader to continue evaluating the
storyline, and provide artistry in the storytelling
of truth events.
Types of creative nonfiction include:
- autobiography / biography
- literary journalism or reportage
- a blog may feature (travelogue, reflection
essays, personal narratives or memoir, flash
essay, and testimonia)
Content in Writing Creative Nonfiction
Writers can craft stories of their own or
of others as long as they can provide evidence
of what really happened.
In the case of a personal account, the
writer can start from the beginning to the end
of a particular situation or may write random of
events to create suspense at the end of the
story. For stories that are written by another
writer, an interview is necessary.
Purpose for Writing Creative Nonfiction
The purpose of good writing is to
express your feelings and not to impress, bring
the readers in a word adventure, and make your
target audience agree what you are talking
about.
Writer-Based Purposes
Writing helps you shape ideas calve
from real life experiences or from merely
observing the surrounding events.
The best writing exercise is to go outdoor (bus
stop, shopping mall, school, church, farm,
airport lobby, and many other busy places) and
observe what is happening.
You start to write down in an hour of
the things that transpired. This technique will
surely help you to find your writing voice and
theme. Although writing is the highest among
the other competencies such as listening,
speaking, and writing.
Dimensions of the Writing Process
The writing process differs from one writer to
another since writing is subjective. Collecting,
shaping, drafting, and revising are the four basic
you will undergo to produce quality
workmanship.
As you narrow the subject, simply the purpose,
know your target readers, and adjust the form
you are working then surely will be something
to look forward to.
1. Collecting – you can gather first-hand
information, use data, experience or
interview others.
“In any case, writers constantly collect
facts, impressions, opinions, and ideas that
are relevant to their subjects, purposes,
and audiences.
Collecting involves observing,
remembering, imagining, thinking, reading,
listening, writing, investigating, talking,
taking notes, and experimenting” (Reid,
2000, p. 30)
As a researcher, you have to think of the
relationships of the information that you
have gathered.
2.
the facts, ideas, circumstances that you
have collected.
A chronological presentation also manifests
your organizational skills and development
of the storyline.
However, an artistic writer may start from
the middle, goes back to the beginning, and
concludes the story or it may be presented
with a part of the conclusion, beginning,
middle part then waves all the events
together to present a meaningful end (Reid,
2000)
3. Drafting – writers usually make a rough
version of the essay they are crafting and
along the way change some parts of the
narrative.
“Some writers prefer to reread their
collecting and shaping notes, find a starting
point, and launch themselves figuring out
what they want to say as they write it.
Other writers start with a plan-a mental
strategy, a short list, or an outline of how
they wish to proceed.”
4. Revising – writers at some point will revise
their drafts several times to achieve
perfection. As a novice writer, you can add,
delete, and substitute words, sentences and
paragraphs.
At times, you may act as an audience,
critiquing your own work by examining the
manuscript over and again to find if there
are some points in your story that are
vague.
The technique in writing is to write crisp,
each word should make sense in every
sentence. You can also let others read your
work and ask for their feedback.
Editing allows you to eliminate the
repetition of words, create eloquence, and
elegance in the write-up (Reid, 2000)