Nonfiction is a wide kind of compositions
that incorporates all books that are not
established in an anecdotal account.
◦Fact. The core of nonfiction is fact.
Factual information shall be included in
the piece and not a made up information.
◦Extensive research. Conducting and
gathering information through research
provide accurate and reliable information
that you may use in writing your
nonfiction write-up.
◦Reportage/reporting. Documenting the
gathered information like interview and
reports helps you keep records and files
for future usages.
◦Personal experience and personal
opinion. Since the main source of contents
are based from the personal experiences
and personal insights of the writer, it
makes an easy way to write a piece.
◦Explanation/Exposition. Explaining the
story to the reader is expected to attain
the objectives of the piece. ◦Essay format.
The outputs in creative nonfiction are
often in essay format. Examples:
Procedural Essay, Personal Essay, Literary
essays, descriptive essay
The following is a list of the most
common literary devices that writers
incorporate into their nonfiction writing:
◦Storytelling/narration. The goal,
challenges and obstacles, a turning point,
and resolution of the story shall be
delivered spontaneously to help the
readers understand the flow of the story.
◦Character/Characterization. In a
nonfiction story, characters are also
important. The main character serves as
the core or central idea of the storyline.
The story revolves to the experiences of
the main character with the help of the
other characters.
◦Setting, atmosphere and scene. The
writer creates scenes that are action -
oriented; include dialogue; and contain
vivid descriptions.
◦Plot and plot structure. These are the
main events that make up the story. In a
personal essay, there might be only one
event. In a memoir, there are often
several significant events.
◦Figurative language. The use of
figurative languages helps the writer to
provide aesthetics to the piece. It gives
vibrant effect to the story. ◦Imagery. The
use of different sensory images helps also
to add color in writing a nonfiction piece.
◦Angle/Point of view. Most of the time
nonfiction adheres with the use of First
Person Point of View since the
experiences are being told.
◦Dialogue. This can help to make the story
run within the characters. ◦Theme. It is
the central idea or universal truth
presented in the work.
The 5’Rs of Creative Nonfiction Lee
Gutkind, who is a writer, professor, and
expert on creative nonfiction, wrote an
essay called “The Five R’s of Creative
Nonfiction.” In this essay, he identified
five essential elements of creative
nonfiction. These include:
 real life elements. The writer
creates concepts of a story using
the vital and real information
about the subject which can be
associated on close attributes of
the real experiences.
 personal reflection about the
subject. After gathering
information, the writer needs to
scrutinize and analyze the
gathered information. Assessing
and considering his ideologies and
beliefs. Through this, it will help
the writer to be more factual
based.
 complete research. The author
needs to find out relevant and vital
information about the subject. The
writer needs to finish investigating
and weighing information that will
be included in the story.
 reading. Reading while conducting
research is not enough. The writer
must recall the components
through reading to improve and
make some modifications.
 writing. Writing imaginative true
to life is both a workmanship and
specialty. The craft of inventive
true to life necessitates that the
essayist utilizes his gifts, senses,
innovative capacities, and creative
mind to compose paramount
imaginative true to life.
Types of Creative Nonfiction
 Personal Essay. The writer uses
information that is based on
personal experience or a single
event, which leads in significant
personal meaning or a lesson
learned that he encountered. The
writer uses the first person “I.”
  Memoir. The writer creates a real In a literary text, theme is the broader
story within a time or period of message of the story.
life, one that contributed a
Central Ideas. These are the most
significant personal meaning and
essential ideas of a text; the key points
truth. The writer uses the first
the author wants to make! The BIG idea.
person “I” in the story.
Nonfiction works use supporting details to
 Literary journalism essay. The
develop central ideas. Details within the
writer creates an output on an
text support and develop the central idea
issue or topic using the understood
in the following ways:
literary devices, such as the
 Prove the concept since you must
elements of fiction and figurative
consider reality;
languages.
 Autobiography. The writer writes  Explain the central idea of the story;
his/her own life story, from birth
 Define the concept;
to the present, using the first
person “I.”  Show some examples and illustrations;

 Travel Writing. The writer creates and

article narration about travel using  Give additional information.

literary devices and figurative
Techniques that writers are expected to
languages.
use when writing creative nonfiction.
 Food writing. The writer crafts
stories about food and cuisine  Topic and Question. In prewriting, you

using literary techniques that mat need to choose a topic and then try to link

lead to a review and possible questions to be answered. In

recommendation. doing this, it helps you to focus on the

 Profiles. The writer constructs life areas that you intend to highlight, For

stories of people using literary instance, in choosing a topic on a

devices. travelogue, you need to formulate

questions like How to get there? What are
Green (2018) defined theme as a thread
the amenities or activities that can be
that runs throughout a whole book.
done? The transportation fares and
routes.
 Narrative Structure or Shape of a
Story. Narrative structure lets you to
discover within the way on delivering the
story through narration, meaning that you
discover the details of the story and its
structure as you write. In creative
nonfiction, there are five popular
narrative structures or shapes Narrative
structure: Telling the story
chronologically, from beginning to end.
 Braided Structure: Telling a story by
weaving or combining two, sometimes
three, narratives or stories.
 Collage: Using a thematic and
segmented approach that combines a
quotation or two, poem, scene, metaphor,
simile, allusion, personification, image,
vignette, anecdote, a short, short, true
story, with an epiphany.
 Frame: Telling a story by opening with a
particular scene or reflecting and closing
with a particular scene or reflection.
 Narrative with Flashback: Telling a story
using scene, summary, reflection, and
flashbacks. As well, the you can
experiment with the narrative structure,
resulting in a new structure or shape.
Distinctive Voice, Style, and Intimate
Point of View-Good writers also have a
unique style. Additionally have a one of a
kind style. An author's style is his/her
demeanor of persona on the page. It
incorporates decision of expression,
sentence assortment, and tone,
perspective, utilization of illustration, and
other abstract gadgets.
Detail and Description. Creative writing is
often a form of discovery. As you
compose, you review the subtleties, the
recollections, the pictures, the felt feeling,
the more profound importance.
Scene and Summary. One of the most
important techniques of creative
nonfiction is writing in scenes. A scene
recreates the experience of the writer for
the reader. A scene evokes. To write a
scene, you must show the reader what is
happening. A scene often includes:
Setting - time and place of the story
Action - something that happens
Dialogue - something being said
Vivid description - concrete and specific
details
Imagery - language that invokes reader’s
sense of sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing
Point of View - first, second, third persons
Figurative language - simile, metaphor,
etc.
Beginning, middle and ending - a scene
has a beginning, middle and end
Summary involves telling the reader what
happened. Telling means to summarize
and to compress, leaving out the details
and descriptions. Telling is explaining. You
should create scenes of important events,
such as for a setback and the turning
point. Scene and summary are used for all
types of creative nonfiction.
Techniques of Fiction. You’ll also rely on
the techniques of fiction to tell a true
story, including:
 Setting-time and place and context,
which provides the backdrop to the true
story
 Narrative Arc ( inciting incident, conflict
and setback, climax, epiphany, resolution)
 Point of View- first person “I”, Second
Person “You”, third person “He/ She”
 Character development- Developing
character through action, dialogue,
description
 Vivid Description-descriptions that are
concrete and specific
 Use of imagery-literal imagery through
description; figurative imagery with simile
or metaphor
 Theme-the meaning of the story The
narrative arc is used to write a personal
narrative essay, sometimes a memoir. The
opinion essay, meditative essay, and
collage essay don’t require a narrative.
These sorts of essays tend to be
structured around a theme.
Poetic Devices-Figurative Language.
You’ll often use one or more of the
following poetic devices to write creative
nonfiction:
 Simile
 Metaphor
 Symbolism
 Personification
 Imagery
 Assonance and alliteration
 Allusion
Experienced Writers often use any of the
above to write creative nonfiction. Simile
and metaphor are the tools of choice.
Personal Reflection. In most types of
creative nonfiction, you’ll share personal
reflection with the reader. These can
include:
 Personal thoughts and feelings
 Opinions
 Ruminations
 Personal perspective
 stream of consciousness
 Mediations Personal refection is
required to write a memoir. It is also used
to write a personal narrative, opinion,
meditative, and lyrical essay.
Word Choice/Diction. Check to see that
you use language in a fresh and original
way, making note of connotation, the
implied meaning of the word. As well,
selecting words with the best meaning.
Meaning refers to diction. Avoid using
clichés and jargon. PIVOT 4A
CALABARZON 14 E Sentence Variety
(Length and structure). Use short and
long, and a variety of syntax to create a
fiction, to write a personal essay, to write
anything.
 Declarative (statement of fact),
Interrogative (ask a question),
exclamatory (emphatic) sentences
 Inverted sentence. E.g. The book of
poetry he wrote…The film, the script, the
special effects, the story, I enjoyed.
 Lose sentence and periodic sentences.
Lyrical Language. Sometimes, a writer will
use a lyrical style to express emotion and
evoke emotion in the reader. This is often
the case when writing a lyrical essay. The
writing style is based on the following:
 repetition of words, phrases, clauses;
 parallel structure;

personal essay, memoir, or literary  rhyme, both rhyme and internal rhyme;
journalism. Sentence variety includes:
 alliteration and assonance; and
 Intentional Fragment. e.g. A pen. Pad of
 sensory imagery
paper. Time, lots of time.
Experimentation. A creative mind. These
are the requirements of creative writing.

 Simple, compound, complex,

compound-complex sentences

 Parallel structure in sentences, e.g. I

require a pen, pad of paper, spare time,
experimentation, and a creative mind, to
write creatively, to write poetry, to write
Here are the main reasons to use literary can help to create visual pictures or
devices in your writing: imageries in the reader’s imagination.

1. Include special effects in writing. Some
portion of appearing, and not
telling,through your story includes the
utilization of literary devices and different
strategies in your narration.
2. Establish connection with your
audience. You can bring the reader into
Some common reasons why authors use
literary devices are to:
1. Illustrate the storyline;
2. Clarify certain points or concepts;
3. Convey abstract information;
4. Draw attention to important pieces of

your story, and urge them to connect with the story or topic;

the content. Literary devices can stimulate 5. Engage and captivate readers;
the reader’s mind, and giving them a
6. Encourage readers to interact with the
deeper reading experience.
story a little deeper; and
3. Interests hooks the reader. Without
7. Enhance the reader’s experience.
literary devices, there is a huge

possibility that the story will be dull and

boring. By incorporating literary
techniques in your writing, you add vivid
color and interests to your words, and
avoid being a dull.
Common literary devices
The most common literary devices used in
literature, art and everyday language are
similes, metaphors, personification,
hyperbole, and symbolism.

4. Use abstract information. More

common in fiction stories, literary devices
can help the author convey abstract
concepts or information to the reader.
They can help communicate the work’s
overall meaning or theme, without the
writer having to directly state the purpose.

5. Establish clear and vivid pictures with

your words. Literary devices like imagery