Elements of

Creative Nonfiction
English 10 1
 Narrative Nonfiction
Objective
• In this lesson, you will evaluate the form and
literary elements of narrative nonfiction.

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 Narrative Nonfiction
Blending Genre:Narrative Nonfiction
• Although most literature falls into a clear genre, such as
fiction or nonfiction, writers can blend elements of various
genres to explore an event or a character in a unique way.
• Narrative nonfiction, also known as creative nonfiction,
blends literary elements commonly found in fictional
narratives and reflective nonfiction. This genre describes
factual, real-life incidents in a vivid and engaging manner that
is typically found in a narrative.
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 Narrative Nonfiction
Writers of narrative nonfiction blend elements of
narration such as plot, pacing, and point of view with
various forms of nonfiction, such as the personal essay or
memoir. For example, in a personal essay, while the
information is based on real events, authors may offer their
own thoughts and reflections on the factual details explored
in the essay. If a writer blends such reflective nonfiction
within a narrative structure, the result is narrative
nonfiction.
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Narrative Nonfiction

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 Narrative Nonfiction
• Narrative nonfiction has become increasingly popular in recent decades because of its blending of
genres and exploration of realistic topics that readers can identify with.
• Certain writing styles, such as New Journalism, were influential in establishing and developing the
narrative nonfiction genre. New Journalism, considered to be the brainchild of Tom Wolfe,
Truman Capote, and other writers was an American literary movement of the 1960s and
1970s. Journalists who were part of this movement used typical narrative storytelling techniques to
report on culturally important events. Traditional newspapers resisted this imaginative style, and
works of New Journalism were commonly published in literary magazines.
• Journalists often offered up their subjective perceptions on the factual events they reported
on.Some famous books to come out of this movement include Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood and
Tom Wolfe’s The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. Wolfe's book describes his experiences during the 1960s
traveling with a group of hippies. This subculture was made up primarily of young people who
rejected social norms. In particular, Wolfe wrote about Ken Kesey, a famous writer and
activist. The book functions as a first-person narrative, but it provides factual insight into the 1960s
counter-culture.

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 Narrative Nonfiction
Which definition best describes the narrative nonfiction genre?
The narrative nonfiction genre combines elements of narrative fiction and
nonfiction by describing real-life stories and events using techniques such as
plot, pacing, characterization, and point of view.
The narrative nonfiction genre requires writers to use their imaginations and
think up stories from scratch so that their works are completely original and
not subject to issues of copyright and plagiarism.
The narrative nonfiction genre takes a popular myth and uses it to explore a
relevant social issue that is popular with many readers.
The narrative nonfiction genre focuses on describing the lives and struggles
of fictional characters within famous historical events.
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 Narrative Nonfiction
Which definition best describes the narrative
nonfiction genre?
The narrative nonfiction genre combines
elements of narrative fiction and nonfiction by
describing real-life stories and events using
techniques such as plot, pacing, characterization,
and point of view.
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 Narrative Nonfiction
Elements of Narrative Nonfiction
To capture and understand the characteristics of narrative nonfiction, let’s examine the key elements
of nonfiction and narration found in the genre.

Reflection
The subjects in this genre usually center on events of personal significance to the writer. For this
reason, narrative nonfiction commonly exhibits elements of narrative reflection—writers provide
their thoughts and views on the events and experiences that have colored their lives. Writers may also
comment on the manner in which these experiences and people have influenced other aspects of
their lives. In such cases, works of narrative nonfiction resemble the nonfiction genres of memoir or
the personal essay because they serve as a platform for the writer’s personal views and opinions.

Research and reflection are some of the chief elements of narrative nonfiction.
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 Narrative Nonfiction
• Accuracy and Research
• First and foremost, writers of narrative nonfiction base their stories on real
events. Although narrative nonfiction typically reflects on the personal
experience of the writer, a writer must accurately convey the people, places,
and events that occur within the narrative. As a result, a writer may need to
conduct extensive research so as not to compromise the truthfulness of the
events and people discussed. Writers must fluidly and creatively blend
accurate, researched-based details with narrative story-telling techniques.
• The biography is another type of nonfiction that overlaps with narrative
nonfiction as far as attention to facts. Like writers of narrative nonfiction,
writers of biographies research details to ensure that their work is truthful
and accurate. Unlike biographies, however, narrative nonfiction provides
writers with more creative license to depict people, places, and events.

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 Narrative Nonfiction
• Characterization
• Similar to characters in a fiction narrative, characters in a work of nonfiction
can be dynamic and undergo meaningful growth and change.The author
may recall a memory of a person and use personal perception to further
develop the character. The flexibility of the narrative nonfiction genre allows
the writer to fictionalize or blur certain elements of a character or
event. Because a writer doesn’t know the full and truthful motives or
thoughts of a person, this genre gives license for writers to develop and
fictionalize certain features of an actual person.
• Writers may use engaging dialogue to make characters distinct from one
another and grant them a degree of individuality. Narrative nonfiction allows
the writer to develop a particular conflict (such as character versus society)
for characters that may simplify or not precisely portray the person’s actual
life.
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 Narrative Nonfiction
• Plot
• The plot of a narrative nonfiction work may follow
the structure of a fictional novel, starting with the
element of exposition and moving on to rising
action, climax, falling action, and resolution. This
narrative structure allows the writer to bring
cohesion and resolution to real-life events that
may not have been so clearly defined.
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 Narrative Nonfiction
• Narration and Point of View
• Sometimes works of nonfiction, like biographies, may chronicle the life of a person over a
span of years. In narrative nonfiction, writers use techniques such as time sequencing to
jump to or between critical parts of the story. The writer may also use flash-forward or
flashback to move through the plot. Narrative pacing also enables writers to slow down or
speed up the pace of the story to emphasize critical moments.
• As with other narrative forms, writers of narrative nonfiction can use different narrative point
of views, but first person and third person are the most common. First-person narration
enables writers to express their personal views about real-life people and events. In third
person, the perspective is limited for writers because they cannot accurately understand
the internal thoughts and motivations of the real people represented by their
characters. Instead, writers must use what they've learned or observed about the actual
people to develop the characters and events.

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 Narrative Nonfiction
“My Brother Paul” by Theodore Dreiser
• Theodore Dreiser was born in 1871 in Terre Haute, Indiana. His parents were
poor, and because of the hardships he faced early in his life, he grew cynical
toward the so-called American dream. As a result, many of his works are
marked by disillusionment.
• Dreiser’s Twelve Men, published in 1919, is a
collection of narrative nonfiction pieces describing 12
men who influenced Dreiser’s life. Read “My Brother
Paul,” a story from this collection. As you read,
consider how Dreiser combines elements of
nonfiction and fiction.
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 Narrative Nonfiction
Analysis
• Theodore Dreiser’s “My Brother Paul” can be seen as a tribute to the life and memory
of his brother Paul. It begins with his earliest recollection of his brother, who is 14 years
older than Dreiser. This blending of reflection and storytelling work together to build a
rich picture of Paul and the ways that he influenced Dreiser.
• Dreiser talks about Paul’s relationship with their mother, who seemed to be the most
important person in Paul’s life. Paul laughed, cried, and shared all his concerns with
his mother.After her death, the mere mention of her would bring tears to his
eyes. Dreiser uses this memory, and others, to show the reader that Paul was a
devoted and sympathetic person.
• Certain events that Dreiser describes are meant to have an emotional effect on
readers. One is Paul’s reconciliation with Dreiser after a brief period of indifference and
estrangement.Paul reconciles with Dreiser in the spirit of Christmas. Dreiser then
convinces Paul to check on their estranged sister, who is in the same city, and whose
husband has just left her. Paul’s actions enable the siblings to reconnect and reunite.
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 Narrative Nonfiction
Analysis
• Dreiser portrays Paul as compassionate and always willing to help his family, friends,
associates, and anybody he considered to be down and out, to the point that Dreiser
thought it was a detriment. Dreiser describes a particularly stressful time in his own life
when Paul reaches out to him, convinces Dreiser to live with him, and later sets
Dreiser up at a friend’s house, rent-free, until Dreiser can get back on his feet. Such
actions show that perhaps they shared a parent-child dynamic, rather than a typical
relationship between siblings.
• Paul encourages Dreiser to pursue his passion for writing.When Dreiser gives Paul the
idea of writing a song about something related to their home state of Indiana, Paul
asks him to write the lyrics. Encouraged by his brother, Dreiser writes the lyrics for one
of Paul’s most famous songs “On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away” which refers to
the Wabash River of Indiana. The success of the song likely boosted Dreiser’s
confidence as a writer.

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 Narrative Nonfiction
Analysis
• Perhaps the most sobering part of the story is when Dreiser relates the
events leading up to Paul’s death. Somewhere amid the glamour and white
lights of Broadway, Paul loses his will to live. He no longer has interest in
working as a writer or actor. Eventually, he runs out of money and has to
move in with his sister.
• The doctor diagnoses Paul with pernicious anemia and says he doesn’t
have long to live. It seems that Dreiser envisioned Paul's illness two years
before it actually happened, testifying to the strength of the brothers’
bond.This is an excellent representation of how Dreiser ties the narrative
elements in with the true events as they unfold.
• Dreiser ends the story by remembering how his brother used to light up
Broadway. He recognizes the innate genius and artistry of his brother. He
celebrates Paul's life rather than grieving for his death.
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 Narrative Nonfiction
Analysis

• Dreiser’s “My Brother Paul” is an example of narrative

nonfiction. The story has strong narrative qualities such as a
coherent plot, dynamic characters, conflict development,
resolution, and engaging dialogue.These narrative qualities
overlap with prose fiction. Dreiser also uses time jumps in his
story to move between events.
• The narrative blends the genres of fiction and nonfiction for
greater storytelling flexibility. For example, Dreiser uses the
essay style and voice to point out specific details about his
brother’s character. He then introduces elements of narrative
fiction, such as indirect characterization and dialogue, to
highlight the points about Paul that have previously been made.
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 Narrative Nonfiction
Analysis
• We see the effect of this blending of genres in the blind beggar
incident. Before narrating the incident, Dreiser comments on how his
brother had a sympathetic nature, but he was simultaneously very
mischievous and couldn’t help sprinkling his charitable acts with a touch of
“ridiculousness.” Prior to going into the details of this incident, Dreiser lets
his readers know that words cannot fully capture his brother:
• It is useless to try to indicate such things in writing, the facial expression,
the intonation, the gestures; these are not things of words.
• Dreiser's comment sets up the indirect characterization of Paul that
follows. He goes on to tell a story about his brother’s sweet and humorous
interaction with a beggar. The two styles combine to leave the reader with a
rich and nuanced impression of his brother.
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 Memoirs
Objective
• In this lesson, you will examine the
literary elements of memoirs.

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 Memoirs
Memoirs: Exploring Past Experiences
• Some nonfiction genres focus on an
author's observations or experiences. One
example is the memoir.
• Memoirs are nonfiction texts in which
authors provide a first-person account of
something they recollect from their lives.
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 Memoirs
However, a memoir is not a random collection
of memories.
The writer, called a memoirist, tries to find
some meaning in the events and shape them
so that readers understand why the memoir
is important.
Often, a memoirist tries to relate the past
events in the memoir to the present.
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 Memoirs
Problems with memoirs:
• Because memoirs represent memory rather than
historical facts, minor details may be inaccurate.
• Such minor inaccuracies or inconsistencies in a
memoir are acceptable to readers.
• But because a memoir is an account of one
person’s memories, readers understand that the
content may not always be factually or
historically accurate. 23
 Memoirs
Differences between memoirs and historical texts
• The less stringent need for historical accuracy is one difference
between a memoir and a history.
• Another difference between a memoir and a historical text is
that a memoir typically involves the writer within the events.
• This personal, subjective viewpoint may change as a person
grows older.Therefore, a memoir’s contents will vary
depending on when events occurred in relation to when the
memoir is written.
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 Memoirs
Differences in memoir and autobiography:
• An autobiography deals with a large part of the
author’s life, while a memoir focuses on a few
specific incidents.
• A memoir relies mostly on memory, while an
autobiography may rely on multiple external
sources such as documentary records.
• Accuracy is more important in an autobiography
than in a memoir. 25
 Memoirs
Differences in memoir and autobiography:

• If you write a book that records your life's major

events and experiences from your birth, you'll
end up with an autobiography.
• On the other hand, if you want to recall your
experience of adopting a pet, watching it grow,
and the significant events surrounding it, your
work is a memoir. 26
 Memoirs
Structures and forms of memoirs:
• Chronological: The memoir follows the order in which incidents happened. This
structure is common in memoirs.

• Cause and effect: The memoir revolves around a significant event and how life was
different before and after it.

• List: As a more experimental approach, memoirs can also be structured as a list. The
writer explores the significance of an event through a list of descriptive items that
develop the writer’s reflection over multiple points in time.

• Narrative: Memoirs can also include stronger narrative elements to relive and provide
reflection about a particular experience. This structure can provide storytelling qualities
while reflecting on a true event.

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Memoirs

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Memoirs

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Memoirs

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