Telling True Stories

Above all other things, a narrative nonfiction piece tells a true story. Creative nonfiction writers don't
have license to invent circumstances or stray from reality. Therefore, research is the cornerstone of the
writing process, and authors often conduct interviews and peruse diaries, historical records and
newspaper articles to get the most accurate information. Erik Larson, author of the best-sellers "The
Devil in the White City" and "In the Garden of Beasts," not only devotes himself to research, but is also
careful to limit himself only to these sources as he determines the conflict and characters in a true story.

Stories With Drama

Narrative nonfiction uses scenes, the basic unit of stories, to dramatize its events. Just like in fiction,
writers use dialogue and characterization to reveal character relationships and move the story forward.
This principle of using scenes instead of merely summarizing is what separates narrative nonfiction from
straight nonfiction works like biographies, reports or news stories. In "In Cold Blood," Truman Capote
alternates scenes of the Clutter family's last day alive with scenes of their killers traveling to Kansas to
rob their house. This structure creates drama and suspense for readers as the killers progress toward
their destination.

Documenting Details

Authors of narrative nonfiction use clear, specific descriptions to re-create the sensory experiences of
the story for readers. Personal essays use meticulous detail, metaphors and imagery to bring the people
and places of the story to life. For example, Jeanette Walls' memoir "The Glass Castle" uses tactile
imagery, details related to touch, to contrast the different places her family lives as they move across
the country, such as the scorching Arizona desert and the freezing winters of West Virginia. In her "Dead
Grandmother Essay," Sarah Beth Childers describes the stench of cigarette smoke that perpetually filled
the rooms of her grandmother's house.

Engaging Voices

Narrative nonfiction pieces are also characterized by unique, memorable voices. Unlike fiction, the
author often has a presence in the writing, especially in the subgenres of memoir and the personal
essay, where the author tells a story about an actual life experience. In JoAnn Beard's essay "Bulldozing
the Baby," Beard uses humor to tell the story of her relationship with a favorite childhood doll, while
John Edgar Wideman's "Looking for Emmett Till" takes on a much darker voice as he reflects on how the
murder of a black teenager in Mississippi changed his views of racism.