Creative Nonfiction

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 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
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
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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• 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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• 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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• 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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• 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.
 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. 14
 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. 16
 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. 17
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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