WHAT IS

CREATIVE
NON-
FICTION?
CREATIVE NONFICTION (ALSO KNOWN AS
LITERARY NONFICTION OR NARRATIVE
NONFICTION OR LITERARY JOURNALISM
OR VERFABULA) IS A GENRE OF WRITING
THAT USES LITERARY STYLES AND
TECHNIQUES TO CREATE FACTUALLY
ACCURATE NARRATIVES. CREATIVE
NONFICTION CONTRASTS WITH OTHER
NONFICTION, SUCH AS ACADEMIC OR
TECHNICAL WRITING OR JOURNALISM,
WHICH ARE ALSO ROOTED IN ACCURATE
FACT THOUGH NOT WRITTEN TO
ENTERTAIN BASED ON PROSE STYLE.
MANY WRITERS VIEW CREATIVE
NONFICTION AS OVERLAPPING WITH THE
ESSAY.
THERE IS ONLY ONE
CHALLENGE FOR CREATIVE
NON-FICTION WRITERS,
AND THAT IS ETHICS AND
ACCURACY. BASICALLY,
CREATIVE NON-FICTION IS
THE OPPOSITE OF FICTION.
EXAMPLES OF CREATIVE NON-FICTION:
1. JOURNALISM (EDITORIAL, OPINION,
FEATURE, NEWS, AND SPORTS WRITING,
ETC.)
2. TECHNICAL WRITING (SCIENTIFIC
AND ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT
RESEARCHES
3. LEGAL WRITING
4. SPEECHES
5. BIOGRAPHY/ AUTOBIOGRAPHY
MEMOIR
6. PERSONAL JOURNAL
7. BLOG/ VLOG
8. POSITION PAPER
METHODS IN CREATIVE
NON-FICTION WRITING
(1) SELECTING A TOPIC,
(2) GATHERING THE
FACTS, (3) NARROWING
TOWARD A THESIS, (4)
ORGANIZING THE
MATERIAL, (5) WRITING A
DRAFT, (6) REVISING THE
DRAFT, AND (7) WRITING
THE FINAL PAPER.
HOW TO
READ AND
CRITIQUE
CREATIVE
NON-
FICTION?
THE NOVELIST’S/ WRITERS
VIEW OF REALITY- ALL
NOVELISTS/ WRITERS ARE
PRODUCT OF A CERTAIN
PHILOSOPHY AND SOCIAL
CONDITION. HE IS NOT
SEPARATED TO THE
CONCRETE HENCE NOT
LIVING IN AN ALIEN
DIMENSION OF FICTION LIKE
WE COMMONLY UNDERSTAND.
CHARACTER IN THE
MATERIAL- CHARACTER/S IN A
NOVEL IS THE ACTUALIZATION
OF THE WAY HOW THE
WRITER IMMERSED IN HIS
MATERIAL WORLD.
THE NOVELIST’S/ WRITERS AT
WORK- ACCORDING TO
FRANCOIS MAURIAC, “EVERY
NOVELIST OUGHT TO INVENT
HIS/HER OWN TECHNIQUE.”
BUT GREAT NOVELISTS AND
WRITERS, AFTER MASTERING
THE CRAFT, ARE INTENDED TO
BREAK THE MOLD LIKE WHAT
BALZAC DID.
DESCRIPTION OF THE
CHARACTERS- A
STORYTELLER IS NOT A
PAINTER, HE/SHE MUST BUILD
THE IMAGES IN THE READER’S
MIND. THE MASTERY OF THE
DETAILS, BOTH ON CONCRETE
AND ABSTRACT, WILL SAVE
THE WRITER FROM THE ABYS
OF HISTORY.
POINT OF VIEW- THIS
QUESTIONS THE POSITION OF
THE NARRATOR IN/OF THE
STORY.
PLOT, STORY, THEME-
CAUSALITY OF EVERYTHING.
WRITING IS LIKE LIVING THE
ACTUAL LIVING.
STYLE- IN EVERY PAGE AND
SENTENCE/S AND
PARAGRAPH/S
CONSTRUCTION, THE WRITER
MAY APPLY HIS/HER OWN
UNIQUE STYLE.
BACKGROUND/BIOGRAPHY
OF THE AUTHOR/ WRITER