CREATIVE

NONFICTION
 What is CNF?
•can be elusive
•focused on story (elements of fiction)
•nonfiction only works if the story is based on truth,
an accurate retelling of the author’s life experiences
•The pieces can vary greatly in length, just as fiction
can; anything from a book-length autobiography to a
500-word food blog post can fall within the genre.
•the genre borrows some aspects,
in terms of voice, from poetry;
poets generally look for truth and
write about the realities they see
•the nonfiction genre depends on
the writer’s ability to render their
voice in a realistic fashion
•the genre relies on the author’s
ability to retell events that actually
happened
•The talented CNF writer will certainly
use imagination and craft to relay
what has happened and tell a story,
but the story must be true
•FOCUS: Reality
•research to render events as accurately as
possible
•CNF writers must be scrupulous in their
attention to detail
•Their work is somewhat akin to that of a
journalist, and in fact, some journalism
can fall under the umbrella of CNF as well.
•Kate Bernheimer’s claim that“A
lifetime of reading is research”
•any lived experience, even one
that is read, can become material
for the writer.
•One key element: Reflection
•large part of nonfiction’s appeal
is the lessons it offers us, the
models for ways of living: that the
writer can survive a difficult or
strange experience and learn
from it.
Nonfiction works involve…
•Real people
•Real places
•Real events
Examples:

•Newspapers
•Journals
•Diaries
•Biographies
Examples:

•Poetry
•Drama
•Fables
•Fairy tales