Preview

Non Fiction

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
7870 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Non Fiction
UVM Writing Center
Writing in Your Major
Tips From Tutors * Home * Humanities * Creative Writing

* Overview * General Tips * Non-Fiction * Fiction * Poetry * Fire Starters
Creative Non-Fiction
If representing and exploring the “real” by writing in the genre of creative non-fiction is your goal, we hope these tips about what creative non-fiction is, as well as some pointers on a few genres that are considered creative non-fiction (memoir and the personal essay) can help you. We have also included some links to some well-known examples of creative non-fiction to give you a sense of what is out there.
An Introduction to Creative 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



References: 3. ^ a b Lounsberry, Barbara (1990). The art of fact: contemporary artists of nonfiction. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. xiii. ISBN 0-313-26893-2. 8. ^ Holman, Virginia (2003, February 25). Rescuing Patty Hearst: Memories From a Decade Gone Mad (1st ed.). Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0743222853. 10. ^ McGrath, Melanie (2009). Hopping. 4th Estate. pp. xiv–xv. ISBN 978-0-00-722365-7. 11. ^ Barrett and Calvi, Duncan and Nuala (2012). The Sugar Girls. Collins. pp. 337–338. ISBN 978-0-00-744847-0. 14. ^ Wyatt, Edward (2006-01-10). "Best-Selling Memoir Draws Scrutiny". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-01-24. 15. ^ Gutkind, Lee (1997). The Art of Creative Nonfiction: Writing and Selling the Literature of Reality. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p. 8. ISBN 0-471-11356-5. * Gutkind, Lee (1997). The Art of Creative Nonfiction: Writing and Selling the Literature of Reality. New York: Wiley. ISBN 0-471-11356-5. * Associated Writing Programs; Forche, Carolyn; Gerard, Philip (2001). Writing Creative Nonfiction: Instruction and Insights from Teachers of the Associated Writing Programs. Cincinnati: Writer 's Digest Books. ISBN 1-884910-50-5. * Dillard, Annie; Gutkind, Lee (2005). In Fact: The Best of Creative Nonfiction. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. ISBN 0-393-32665-9. * Gutkind, Lee, ed. (2008). Keep It Real: Everything You Need to Know About Researching and Writing Creative Nonfiction. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. ISBN 978-0-393-06561-9.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    The relationship between fiction and nonfiction is very elaborate. The book, The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle deals with a family experiencing accidents each year in October and now they want to figure out why. In the book, Cara and her ex-step-brother accidentally fall in love. This tends to happen more often than we think in the world we live in. Fiction is a story that is created from your imagination but can also be inspired by true events. Nonfiction is a true story about real people and real events. But fiction reading is able to influence our ideas about real life.…

    • 207 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hatchet Essay Example

    • 897 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Hatchet is about a 13 year old boy named Brian Robinson, he was flying to Canada to visit his father who works in the oil fields. This is the first summer that he is going to stay with his father since his parents’ recent divorce. Brian is the only passenger in a Cessna 406 plane that will take him to Canada. Little does Brian know that this trip will change his life forever. Since his parents got divorced he hasn’t seen his father. He knows a secret about his mom that his father doesn’t. He tries to tell him a lot. On his way there his pilot experiences a massive heart attack. Brian is left to fly the plane on his own. Brian faces many hardships. Like his encounter with a bear and skunk. Almost being blinded by your own bow. No Hope of being rescued. No hope of survival. Near the end of the book Brian realizes that he is the new Brian. There is hope of survival. Brian is somewhere in the forests of Ontario or Quebec, in a region called the Canadian Shield. Carved out by glaciers long ago, the region is made up of ancient granite rock. It extends, in a horseshoe shape, from the southern edge of the Arctic Islands, around Hudson Bay, and over to the eastern coast of Newfoundland. The climate in the northern part of the Canadian Shield is extremely cold, with average temperatures in July ranging from forty to fifty degrees. Luckily Brian was there when it wasn’t there when it was extremely cold ,or it would be very hard to survive with snow so deep and no game. He starts to hunt.…

    • 897 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    While still remaining within a reasonable time frame, a nonfiction novelist has the choice to increase the tempo to craft…

    • 720 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    References: Roots, Robert, and Michael Steinberg. The Fourth Genre: Contemporary Writers of/on Creative Nonfiction. 5th ed. New York: Pearson, 2010. 110 - 113. Print.…

    • 1468 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cited: McMahan, Elizabeth, Susan X. Day, and Robert Funk. Literature and the Writing Process. 9th ed. Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2007. Print.…

    • 1319 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The purpose of commercial fiction is to act as an escape from reality while literary fiction is intended to highlight its…

    • 549 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The main issues of the memoir genre are that you cannot verify the veracity of the information given in memoirs, as well as a lack of effort in concealing the identities used in the stories. This leads to questions of nonfiction and the writer's integrity, as well as issues between publishers and people who feel victimized by portrayals of them in memoirs. However, memoirs are a captivating type of literature for all who would like to enjoy a story of other’s struggles.…

    • 655 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Kennedy, X. J. and Dana Gioia. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Custom. 7th ed. Boston, MA: Pearson, 2013. ISBN: 9781256964209.…

    • 1115 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    "The Teaching Of Literature" Analysis 1. Key Terms: - Fiction: a piece of writing that is not factual, contains mystery and deals with human nature. It embodies mystery through manners.…

    • 526 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Truman Capote

    • 1251 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Capote, Truman. “The Story Behind a Nonfiction Novel.” New York Times. Ed. George Plimpton. 16 January 1966. Web. 11 Apr. 2013.…

    • 1251 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Child Labor Refenrences

    • 2976 Words
    • 12 Pages

    Lamott offers sane advice for those struggling with the anxieties of writing, but her main project seems to be offering the reader a reality check regarding writing, publishing, and struggling with one's own imperfect humanity in the process. Rather than a practical handbook to producing and/or publishing, this text is indispensable because of its honest perspective, its down-to-earth humor, and its encouraging approach.…

    • 2976 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Was It Worth It?

    • 826 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Pike, D. L., & M, A. A. (2014). Literature a world of writing. Upper Saddle River: Pearson…

    • 826 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Education and America

    • 1416 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Sirota, David. “Kenneth Cole Gets Schooled.” Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings and Handbook. Third Edition Ed Richard Bullock, Maureen Daly Goggin, and Francine Weinberg. New York: Norton, 2013. 759-63. Print…

    • 1416 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Writing nonfiction can be fulfilling, even fun, but it's not for everyone. Serious nonfiction writing depends on serious research. You don't want to put your name to something that's riddled with errors and mistaken assumptions. The more you research, the better you will write.…

    • 407 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Lamb

    • 1096 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Kennedy, X. J. and Dana Gioia. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Compact Interactive Edition. 6th ed. New York, NY: Pearson, 2010. ISBN: 0558573002. Pages 413 and 430.…

    • 1096 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays