CREATIVE NONFICTION (QUARTER 4) FORMS AND TYPES OF CREATIVE NONFICTION

LITERARY JOURNALISM
Learning Competencies:
1. Explain the relationship of elements and ideas found in the various forms and types of creative nonfictional texts
through a close reading of a chosen creative nonfictional text. (HUMSS_CNF11/12-IIa-15)

2. Compare and contrast the different forms and types of creative nonfictional texts. (HUMSS_CNF11/12-IIa-16)

3.Deliver an artistic presentation summarizing, analyzing and commenting on a chosen creative nonfictional text
representing a particular type or form. (HUMSS_CNF11/12-IIa-17)

MOTIVATION 1:

Arrange the jumbled letters to form words that are associated to creative nonfiction.
ILETARYR JUOANILSRM

UNDERSTANDING LITERARY JOURNALISM

LITERARY JOURNALISM – uses the techniques of journalism (such as interviews and reviews) in order to look outside of
the straight forward, objective world that journalism creates. It uses literary practices to capture the scene/setting of the
assignment or the persona of the person being interviewed. It can often be narrative or heavily imagistic.

✓Another important aspect of literary journalism is that it often stretches the idea of objective facts in order to better
reflect real life and real people. In other words, while journalism is about being completely, literary journalism says that
people can’t be objective because they already have their own subjective views about the world. Therefore, by taking
the objectiveness out of the journalistic process, the writer is being more truthful.

✓ Literary journalism is sometimes called “immersion journalism” because it requires a closer, more active relationship
to the subject and to the people the literary journalist is exploring. Like journalistic writing, the literary journalism piece
should be well-researched, focus on a brief period of time, and concentrate on what is happening outside of the writer’s
small circle of personal experience and feelings.

✓ Narrative journalism attempts to communicate facts through narrative storytelling and literary techniques.

✓ Texts under such form serve the purpose of informing and enlightening the readers about a certain topic or issue.

✓ The writer mainly utilizes various literary devices, such as dialogue, setting characterization, and plot structure. The
writer’s goal is to dramatize the story or events by using dramatic scenes. A scene includes a location/setting, passage of
time, details and descriptions, action of by the people in the story. The writer also uses other literary devices to craft an
interesting story. Popular literary techniques include simile, metaphor, and imagery.
✓ Unlike the personal essay or memoir, the literary journalistic texts use third person point of view.

✓ It contains accurate, well-researched information, and is also interesting to readers.

✓ It looks at intriguing people, human emotions, and real situations. It provides the private story behind the public
story.

✓ It reaches past the ordinary by blending the reportage of facts with the writing style of fiction.
✓ It is the “literature of fact.” The writer can compose an essay on any topic, such as drug addiction, rape,
unemployment, spirituality, or crime. Whatever the topic, the writer needs factual and true information to write about a
person, place, event, or idea. These facts must be verifiable. In fact, every important fact must be verifiable.

✓ Most often, the literary journalistic essay requires that the writer complete some research, often extensive research,
in order to uncover the facts. Unlike the personal essay or memoir, which is based on the writer’s own life, a literary
journalistic essay is based on another person’s life, or events, or experiences external to the writer’s own life.

✓ Unlike the personal essay or memoir, which is written from the first-person “I” point of view, the literary journalistic
essay is written from the third person “he/she” point of view.

✓The intention of the writer is to inform the readers and to also enlighten them with new information. But the writer
must do more than enlighten; the writer must also entertain by recreating the scene. The writing accomplishes this by
using the elements of fiction, such as the use of characterization, dialogue, narrative structure, and so on.

Literary journalistic essays are a popular form of creative nonfiction. Their purpose is to inform and enlighten.
Publications such as The New Yorker , The Atlantic Monthly, Harper’s  publish this type of writing. It is writing about facts
that are external to the writer’s own life. The writer uses literary devices, such as dialogue, setting, characterization, and
plot structure to tell a true story about a person, place, event, experience, or to write about a big idea, like
counterterrorism.  The writer can choose any topic, so long as it can be researched. 

How to Write a Literary Journalistic Essay

Unlike the formal essay taught in university history courses or English courses, there is no single way to write a
literary journalistic essay. However, the writer does need to follow certain guidelines. For instance, the subject must be
well-researched. The essay must include a lead that grabs the reader’s attention and tells the reader what the essay is
about. The content of the essay must include interesting and informative facts, information that enlightens the reader
about the topic. The content of the essay must also support the writer’s point of view. And in writing the essay, the
writer must use the literary devices. To close, the writer makes a final point. He/she  leaves the reader with one final
point about the subject.

Tips on How to Write a Literary Journalistic Essay

There is no single method of writing a literary journalistic essay. That being said, a literary journalistic essay requires a
lead, content that is based on factual information, and an ending. Here are a few tips on how to write the literary
journalistic essay:

1. Learn about your subject through personal reportage. Interview others, conduct research in the library and on the
Web. Immerse yourself in the story.
2. Outline your story before writing it. What is your lead? What important points do you wish to make? What facts
do you have? How do you intend to end your essay?
3. Include a lead and ending. The lead tells the reader what your essay  is about; The ending leaves your reader with
a final message. What final point do you want to make?
4. Use your distinctive voice. You reveal your voice by your choice of diction, choice of sentence patterns,
choice literary devices, such as alliteration, imagery, metaphor, simile, and so forth.
5. Write a true story about a person, place, event, or  idea. Make sure that the story is interesting and informative. If
it isn’t, write about something else.
6. Write dramatic scenes—action, dialogue, details, setting.
7. Consider narrowing your topic to a brief period of time.
8. Use literary devices. Popular devices include metaphor, simile, alliteration, and imagery.
9. Tell your story using the third-person point of view. (he/she)
 10. Make use your writing reveals a universal truth or message. Otherwise your reader’s will say: “So what? What was
the point?”
11. Be sure your writing informs and enlightens. Before writing, use Google to check what has been written on the
topic.
12. Conduct extensive research on your topic. Often you will use only a partial amount of the information that you
collect. Your goal is to become a subject matter expert, so that you can write as an expert.

Choosing a Topic

You can write about anything. Popular topics include:

 Adventure
 Biography
 Business
 Crime story
 Family saga
 History
 Popular culture
 Science and technology
 Sports
 Travel

Choose a topic that allows you to write intimately and to dramatize the story.

Before writing, ask yourself the following:

 What type of lead do I wish to use?

 What is the story about?
 What are the themes?
 What major points do I wish to make?
 What facts do I have? What facts do I still need?
 Are my facts verifiable?
 Who have I interviewed? Who must I still interview?
 How do I want to organize the essay? By topic? Chronological order? Logical order?
 What are my own views on the topic? How do I wish to incorporate my views into the essay?

Research Your Topic

A literary journalist is based on fact. Therefore, you will need to collect the facts for your story. The best approach is to
use personal reportage. Here is how:

1. Observe the person, event, or experience. Afterwards, make notes.

2. Interview subject matter experts. Make notes as you ask questions, or use a tape recorder.
3. Immerse yourself in the story. In other words, live the experience. For instance, writer George Plimpton lived as a
football player for a while to write Paper Lion.
4. Use the library. Read relevant books, magazine articles, and newspaper clippings, and take notes as you read.
5. Conduct a search of your topic using Google. Start by conducting a search on the Web to see what has been
written on the subject.
6. Complete primary research. A primary source is a record created as part of, or during an event, crisis, or time
period. For instance, a letter, diary, personal journal, and government records and governmental report.
Observe Your Subject

A good way to learn about the person or topic is often by observation. Find out the following:

1. What is your subject wearing?

2. What is your subject saying?
3. How is your subject behaving?

You can also immerse yourself in the story by becoming a participant.

Conducting an Interview

An interesting quotation from a subject matter expert or witness to the events can turn a dull story into one that
captures the interest of the reader. If you are going to write good creative nonfiction, you must know how to interview.
Here are a few tips:

1. Make a list of questions to ask.

2. Take a pen and paper, or tape record.
3. Interview the subject matter experts.
4. Ask the person you are interviewing to stop talking while you are attempting to take notes.
5. After the interview, type out your notes.
6. Save the toughest questions for last.
7. Don’t quote a subject matter expert out of context.
8. Don’t fabricate quotations.

ACTIVITY #1: Compare and contrast these two types of CNF in terms of the following:

BASIS FOR COMPARISON Literary Journalism Travelogue

Meaning

Authorization

Written in

Purpose

Outlook