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Forms and Types of Creative Non Fiction
Forms and Types of Creative Non Fiction
Forms and Types of Creative Non Fiction
Non Fiction
What “is” creative non-fiction?
Creative nonfiction merges the boundaries between literary art (fiction, poetry)
and research nonfiction (statistical, fact-filled, run of the mill journalism). It is
writing composed of the real, or of facts, that employs the same literary devices
as fiction such as setting, voice/tone, character development, etc. This makes if
different (more “creative”) than standard nonfiction writing.
Sometimes called literary journalism or the literature of fact, creative nonfiction
merges the boundaries between literary art (fiction, poetry) and research
nonfiction (statistical, fact-filled, run of the mill journalism). It is writing
composed of the real, or of facts, that employs the same literary devices as
fiction, such as setting, voice/tone, character development, etc.
Creative nonfiction should (1) include accurate and well-researched information,
(2) hold the interest of the reader, and (3) potentially blur the realms of fact and
fiction in a pleasing, literary style (while remaining grounded in fact).
In the end, creative nonfiction can be as experimental as fiction—it just needs to
be based in the real.
Content of creative nonfiction:
It's important to clarify that the content of creative nonfiction does not necessarily have to come from the
life or the experience of the writer. Say, for instance, the writer is using techniques from literary
journalism to create a portrait of a person interviewed. The writer may choose to write a portrait of the
interviewee through an omniscient perspective, meaning the writer wouldn't be in the piece at all.
On the other hand, nonfiction writers often choose to write about topics or people close to them
(including themselves). As long as the piece deals with something real, or something based on the real,
the writer is allowed to take the piece in any direction he or she wishes.
In creative nonfiction, writers attempt to observe, record, and thus shape a moment(s) from real life.
Writers thus extract meaning through factual details—they combine the fact of detail with the literary
extrapolation necessary in rendering meaning from an observed scene.
At the same time, successful creative nonfiction attempts to overlay fact with traditional conceptions of
dramatic structure. While rendering meaning from an observed scene, a piece should suggest a
beginning, middle and end that clearly conveys the conflict and the characters, and pushes the action
toward some sort of closure.
In effect, creative nonfiction attempts to project a dramatic, literary framework upon everyday existence,
rendering it enjoyable, enlightening and potentially meaningful.
While writing creative nonfiction, writers should dwell on sensory details and "show show show."
A piece should never just tell the reader something or summarize—this is what research non-fiction
does.
Form
Forms of Creative Nonfiction
Internet, books
People
Interviews
Observation
Detective work
My biggest point
The personal essay is one of the most popular forms of creative non-fiction
writing found in English classes, especially in high school but also, to a
certain degree and in a more complex way, college.
This kind of writing allows you to explore a topic through the lens of your
own, personal experiences, reflections, ideas, and reactions. It can be one of
the most powerful kinds of writing you get to do, both in its direct
connection to you, the writer, allowing you to engage with material in class
at a very personal, complex, and meaningful level, and also in the amount
of latitude that you as a writer are afforded in terms of style, technique, and
form.
The following are some tips and strategies to help you think as you write
and revise a personal essay, or prepare to write this kind of assignment for
the first time (the topic of the essay will always vary—we are focused on
the genre as a whole here).
Focus. In some ways, the personal essay is similar to memoir and many of the same techniques can be used effectively. It
differs in that an essay is focused on one specific topic (and here, it will be explored through your own experiences)
whereas the memoir has the capability to trace or illuminate several themes, topics, and ideas via the author’s life (or
part(s) of that life) that he/she describes (and how he/she describes it).
Organization. Not to be confused with form (see below). Your essay, like other essays, should have some kind of coherent
organization to it. This is not to say that you must use thesis style (in fact, we are confident that powerful personal essays
follow that organization scheme less than 5% of the time). No matter how you choose to organize (and what form you use),
be sure that your paragraphs and ideas flow from one to the next, connected by a common theme (trying to tackle the topic
on which you are writing). It can be scattered or fragmented (if that is a stylistic/form choice you make), but the entire
paper should have a relationship, even if it only becomes clear at the end. This allows the reader to follow your experience.
Form. One of the best parts of this kind of writing is the power given to you as the writer. There is no form, no formula, no
tried and true method that you must use to be effective. In fact, to copy something that somebody else has done is not only
rather boring, but also defeats the purpose of this being a personal essay. Choose a form and style that suits you and is
fitting for the experience that you are describing. Try to think of the form as a part of the writing itself, not just a
framework for it: the form should actually enhance and make more poignant what it is you are taking about. Push the
boundaries, but don’t go too far—you are still writing an essay (and be sure that you follow any specific requirements
outlined by your professor).
Diction/Language. Like form, in the personal essay (and creative writing generally, perhaps even, to some extent, writing
in general) the way in which you say something can “mean” just as much as the form into which you place what it is you
are saying. Use language to enhance what you are writing about and not just as a means to say it. Here is where you can get
really creative and appropriately use linguistic “play” to explore your topic and your own relation to it in new and complex
ways.
Choosing at Topic and Approach
When beginning a personal essay, you should choose a significant event in your life. This can be
almost anything, but something about it should matter to you. Many personal essays hinge around a
sad experience, but joy is just as strong an emotion, if not more so. As always in creative writing, you
should consider why you are writing this piece: what can writing about this experience teach others?
What can you learn from revisiting the memory? In a personal essay, the importance of the
word “personal” is not to be undervalued. Whatever you choose to write about must be important to
you, hinge around your experience, and have some impact on you.
When writing a personal essay, it is important to remember that the main character is you. This is
challenging for a lot of people who are used to expressing themselves through a character or through
poetry. Personal essays demand more vulnerability than either of these forms. In a personal essay, the
writer should never be afraid of the word “I” in fact, it should be used as often as possible. In most
situations where you find yourself straying into the first person plural (“we”) or even the third person,
using such vague language as "one could" or “one would,” you will almost always find the writing
becomes stronger if you replace the subject with “I.” Most of the time, drifting into vague language is a
sign that you are trying to convey a message you find “too” personal and are afraid of expressing.
However, it is this vulnerability that fuels the personal essay. You cannot learn from the experience
unless you are honest with yourself, and readers will not be able to understand why this experience is
significant if you hide yourself from view. Your character in the story can only develop if you claim the
story as your own.
6.Tavelouge/Travel Writing
• Records the experiences of travelers in some
interesting places and circumstances. It includes
vivid descriptions, illustrations, historical
background, and possibly maps and diagrams.
• The Basics
• Go on adventure.
• Start with a clear story line.
• Describe the place in great detail and use imagery.
• Get the facts straight about the place, people, events,
culture, etc.
Examples
Let's look in detail at an example of travel writing.
In this extract the writer gives his impressions of an area of Montana called the
Badlands.
“Mauvaises terres. The first missionary explorers had given this place
its name, a translation of the Plains Indian term meaning something
like hard-to-travel country, for its daunting walls and pinnacles and
buttresses of eroded sandstone and sheer clay. Where I was now, in
Fallon County, Montana, close to the North Dakota state line, the
Badlands were getting better. A horseback rider wouldn't have too
much difficulty getting past the blisters and eruptions that scarred the
prairie here. But the land was still bad enough to put one in mind of
Neil Armstrong and the rest of the Apollo astronauts: dusty, cratered,
its green turning to seer yellow under the June sun.
Breasting the regular swells of land, on a red dirt road as true as a
line of longitude, the car was like a boat at sea. The ocean was hardly
more solitary than this empty country, where in forty miles or so I
hadn't seen another vehicle.”
Here's a closer look at some of the features you
should be able to spot -
The article is written in the 1st person, " Where I was now.... the
Badlands were getting better".
The article describe the places in great detail. The writer creates
a picture of the Badlands as being huge, empty and desolate.
The writer creates this vivid picture of place by using very
descriptive, imaginative language. Did you spot the writer's use
of a simile when he described the size of the Badlands? He said
that the prairie was so big that his car was like a "boat at sea".
Notice how the writer made his feelings about the Badlands
clear. Words like "daunting" and "solitary" give us an idea of his
reaction to his surroundings.
7. True Narratives
Most of these books tie life experiences and happenings with food.
Story and photos by Ken PaulmanHedrick's practice sessions maintain a lighthearted atmosphere.
It is 5:30 p.m. on a Thursday, and Jasmine Hedrick is gathered with nine of her students in a classroom at the
University of Oregon School of Music. Hedrick, who is pursuing a doctorate in flute performance, teaches
private lessons to all of the flutists in the room. The Thursday night gatherings offer the students the
opportunity to perform before an audience and learn from one another's successes - and mistakes.
Hedrick, an accomplished musician by any standard, is most passionate about teaching. She is very much at
home in front of the classroom, leading students one at a time through exercises that are one part instruction,
one part standup comedy routine.
Hedrick's techniques, some of which may appear unorthodox, seem to be quite effective. One student is
instructed to stoop over backwards in a "limbo" position and lean against the door while playing in order to
open up her airway. Another plays an excerpt while Hedrick is simultaneously poking her sternum and jabbing
a flute into her abdomen.
But Hedrick is not trying to torture her students. At first, the students laugh at the awkward positions. Then, the
notes that had previously sounded airy and off-key come out crystal clear, and the method behind the madness
becomes clear. Each student receives a round of applause when she is finished, partly for being a good sport,
but primarily for showing remarkable improvement.
"The main reason I wanted to get a doctorate was so I could teach," she said. "I like pushing people to think outside of
the normal threshold of just playing notes and think about what music really means."
Hedrick was born in Houston, lived in upstate New York as a child, and spent her teenage through college years in
Flagstaff, Ariz. She got into music at the age of 8, after getting a perfect score on a third grade musical aptitude test. Her
first choice of instrument, somewhat arbitrarily, was the flute, which she has been playing - and studying - ever since.
After completing her BA in Flute Performance at Northern Arizona University, she moved to Lawrence, Kan., with the
intention of pursuing graduate studies at the University of Kansas, but she changed her mind after meeting the instructor.
A year later, she came to Eugene after a professor in the music school was so impressed with her audition tape that he
offered to give her free lessons for a year while she became eligible for in-state tuition (on the condition she practiced
three hours a day). After completing her master's degree, she was offered a fellowship to begin the doctoral program. She
is the principal flutist in the University Orchestra, and also plays with the Eugene Symphony, the Oregon Mozart Players
and the Eugene Opera.
A focus on a single instrument, however, isn't as limiting as it sounds. Hedrick can also play other woodwinds, many of
which have similar key structures to the flute, as well as percussion and string instruments.
"I can play almost every other instrument a little bit," she said. "I can even play a tiny bit of banjo."
Despite her accomplishments, Hedrick doesn't have her sights set on fame and glory.
"It's not gonna happen. Believe me - I practice constantly, but I can't imagine I'll be the next Paula Robison," she said,
referring to the renowned classical flutist.
Hedrick said she does not have a natural talent for music. She has had to work hard every step of the way to get to where
she is today, something she considers an advantage for someone who wants to use her experience to help others become
better players.
"A really gifted and talented person who never really had to work very hard doesn't
make a very good teacher," she said. "I'm certainly not one of those gifted and talented
people. I've had to figure it all out for myself."As her tenure as a student comes to a
close, Hedrick is trying to find work, something that is never easy for a musician. She
has been sending out recordings and resumes for teaching positions, as well as
auditioning for jobs as a professional flutist. While her true desire is to work in
academia, she said she is willing to jump on whatever opportunity presents itself.
However, a recent disappointing audition for an orchestra in Buffalo, N.Y., has
reaffirmed Hedrick's desire to teach.
"I like teaching so much better than going up there for three minutes and getting 'Thank
you very much,'" she said.
She describes her ideal life as teaching at a college or university, while playing in a local
ensemble or orchestra, much as she's doing in Eugene. While this may seem like a
modest goal, it's something that will require even more work, more patience, and more
sacrifice.
"It's not a very money making career," she said. "You've got to really like it."
10. Movie Review
• Provides a short description of a film and includes the reviewer’s opinion about
it. It assesses the movie’s overall quality and determines whether or not the film
is worth recommending. A film review can be formal or informal. When talking
about an academic writing assignment, a scholarly film review should definitely
use formal language.
• The Basics
• Select a film and watch the film at least twice.
• Read about the story behind the film. Include interesting and peculiar facts about the
production process, the basis of the story, the cast and the crew, the budget, and location.
• Take note of critical scenes of the characters.
• Introduction includes the basic information of the film.
• Main body includes the analyses of the story as a whole. Include scenes from your notes.
• State the audience’s and the critic’s perception. Express your personal opinion and either
recommend or not the film.
11.Interview
Conversation in which one person asks
questions of another for the purpose of
obtaining information