Creative Nonfiction - SHS

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Writing Creative Nonfiction, Week 1

Module 017 Writing Creative Nonfiction, Week

One

This week, we are going to move on to writing creative nonfiction.

Remember that last week, we focused on figuring out if a piece is well-
written or not. While you may have written shorter pieces before this week,
we should now be ready to tackle more intricate writing. Don’t worry: your
works are not expected to be masterpieces, although such works will be
undoubtedly welcomed. Whatever the case may be, you should apply as
much as what you have learned into them.
At the end of this module, you will be able to:
1. Criticize a short piece of creative nonfiction
2. Identify people who should be writing creative nonfiction
3. Deduce the correct writing strategy or “activity preparation”
4. Write a personal essay about something that has happened to you when
you were young, involving a favorite thing (object/pet/color/food, etc.)
The lessons this week are aimed towards providing a greater understanding
of the purpose and benefits of writing creative nonfiction. It is hoped that by
having the guidelines below, an awareness of what is good or bad creative
nonfiction will be further heightened.

Who writes creative nonfiction? (OR: who do we write about?)

Often, it can be daunting to write creative nonfiction. Usually, we attribute these real-life
works to popular people – personalities or celebrities whose lives are so intrinsically
colorful that their fans would like to know more. Other popular people, such as politicians,
scientists, and other human catalysts, have inherently compelling tales to tell. Even if
Physics bore or intimidate most people, many would like to get to know who Albert
Einstein was. Moreover, contemporary scientists, such as Neil de Grasse, are able to make
science sound more exciting to the common reader.
Some of the above personalities write their own creative nonfiction. An editor just helps
them get their thoughts across more clearly.

Popular People
The usual suspects in writing creative nonfiction are the celebrities, politicians, and
other personalities that flood your social media, television, or newspaper headlines.
Everyone else could not get enough of these personalities that delving into their
personal lives is a common hobby. Tabloids and glossies are not enough to
showcase the secrets of the famous. Therefore, it is not a surprise many biographies
and autobiographies have been written about them.

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 Here are some examples:

Representatives of the Human Condition

Not all biographies are about people who are famous. There are those that become
famous because of the books written about them. Perhaps a writer has found a
person so compelling that he just has to write about that person. Maybe that person
himself or herself has decided to tell the tale. People may be representatives of a
certain human condition. They may not be completely unique, but their perspectives
may be. Here, we will read about people who have overcome great odds (war,
cancer, poverty, etc.), or who have defended a certain idea, way of life, etc.
Here are some examples:
Avant-Gardes
People who make a significant change in politics, fashion, science, and any other
industry are always enthralling. We would like to know how and why they came up
with their ideas. We would also want to know more of their background. What kind
of life produces a genius or a person who thinks differently? There is a certain
excitement about a person who seemingly bursts into a scene to change status quo.
Here are some examples:
Budding/Experienced Writers
You are probably wondering under which category you will fall on, and this is the
category that encompasses all the rest who just happen to love writing. Early on in
your writing history, you may tell tales from your own life. Some people even say
that writers often write about themselves, even in their first foray into fiction. The
self is disguised under a heap of tweaked details. The Shining by Stephen King, for
example, is about a writer with addictive tendencies. It is said that the character
carries some of King’s personality, even his addictive tendencies during that period
of his life.
You, as a writer, will be writing about things that you know or are trying to get to
know. What better way to jumpstart a writing career by describing something that
you have a front row seat to – your own life. Other creative nonfiction subgenres,
such as references, may follow later on in life if that is your interest. References
would need intensive research to back up.
In this course, you will start by writing vignettes about yourself.
If you want further assurance that a student like you can write something
substantial and worthy then you should check out this book:

McGrath, M., & Meil, A. (2014). The Story I Want to Tell. Portland: The Telling Room.
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Writing Creative Nonfiction, Week 1

Should you write creative nonfiction?

Creative Nonfiction is just one of your subjects in your SHS. Some of you may find it
a challenge, but some of you would not only be accepting that challenge but would
go on further to build writing careers.
If you enjoy writing exercises, then there is no reason not to write creative
nonfiction. While it does not require you to create your own worlds or to fashion
your own characters, it provides you with the challenge of making your storytelling
tight and fresh.

How do you begin to write creative nonfiction?

There are several subgenres under creative nonfiction. The best place to start is
with memoirs, vignettes, and even with the full-length biography or autobiography.
Think of the following steps:
 List some very important/unforgettable events in your life
 Brainstorm some possible symbolisms that may be used to compare with
aspects of your life
 Start writing
 Read aloud or have a friend read your work
 Accept feedback
 Revise, revise, and accept feedback to again revise
There is not much mystery in writing creative nonfiction. You merely follow the
steps to general writing. The difference here is that you are writing based on facts or
a certain truth, based on your perspective. If you are writing a biography, memoir,
or vignette, then you are describing real events and characters.

Zooming into Personal Essays

For your purpose as a student of this Creative Nonfiction course, you will be
focusing on personal essays.
A personal essay is a short written composition in prose form that is focused on a
subject that is directly associated with you, as the writer. It could be a short story or
vignette about something that you have experienced, or it could be your views about
a particular topic. While there are some rare verse essays, you will only write in
prose form for this course.

Activity Preparation
I: Focus
In your assessment files, you will find instructions on what you need to write about
this week. Before you can get to that point, however, you should first learn how to
focus. Focus is the key word in terms of doing well in any form of writing. With
creative nonfiction, it is basically the glue and foundation that will make your

Course Module
narrative sound literary instead of sounding off like a witness report. Witnesses
may be able to reveal the full story, but their truth accurate it may be can become
scattered.
Here are ways in which you can gain focus:
 Use appropriate theme(s)

Themes can provide unity in even the longest stories. What do you really
want to highlight? Are you writing a story about slavery of various forms? If
you are the descendant of a slave, for example, you may comment on how
people of today can still be slaves of power or money. Some may still be
literal slaves, serving as housekeepers for very little money.

You may also use symbolic themes, such as the garden in your childhood
home. Family members meet by the garden for afternoon snacks or to talk
about serious problems. Perhaps when you and your siblings have grown
older, you all have to leave the home. The trees and flowers start developing
a neglected look as your parents continue to hope that you will visit again.

 Discard unnecessary details

It is tempting to publish a tell-all tale. Unless you want tabloid fodder, you
should avoid this. When you write creative nonfiction, you do not write the
way you write your social media posts. There are people who post just about
anything:

“I am currently eating a ham and cheese sandwich right now.”

“I think I am about to pee.”
“This is what I need to do today: go to the mall, buy a basket, visit a friend,
etc. etc.”

Of course, if your character is a person with OCD then it is possible. If you

have a problem with TMI (too much information) then you may also reveal as
much as you can to express this facet of your character. However, even
literary works in diary form do not waste words. They only include the
details that would matter. Focus!

 Persuade your reader

If you cannot make your reader see things according to your POV, then you
are failing at something. Effective writers can sometimes even justify the evil
of a particular character. You are not supposed to influence people to believe
bad things, but you are at least supposed to make people see things your
way. Your readers should be able to empathize, if not completely sympathize,
with you. Of course, you may also try to make your readers hate you, if the
purpose of your story is to show that you have done terrible things for which
you have to atone or that you have learned your lesson.
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Writing Creative Nonfiction, Week 1

II: Information
Another part of your preparation is in the manner of how you reveal or handle your
information.
Here are tips that you should remember:
 Do not ego-trip
You are not writing to make everyone praise you, or even like you. A creative
nonfiction piece is not a vehicle for ego tripping. So, no, you cannot write
about your European trip just so you can tell people what hotels you stayed
in or what cuisine you enjoyed. While those can be details that you can add,
you should know what the more important point of the narrative is. Is the
piece written to compare and contrast Asian and European cultures? Did
something very memorable happen: a proposal, a new job, or even a terrorist
attack?

 Decide when to include yourself

What do you want to write about? Should you be even part of the narrative?
Writing about a friend or a family does not mean to say that you
automatically have speaking parts. Maybe you are just there to observe and
tell the tale.

 Choose your narrator

A first person narrator makes sense if you are writing your autobiography,
vignette, or memoir. A biography about somebody else should be written in
the third person. You do have the creative choice to write your
autobiography in the third person. You can make it a playful choice, going
back to your toddler years when you may still have referred to yourself in the
third person.

 Record events using a journal

Sometimes you have a lot of ideas. Oh, I want to write about my last fishing
trip, a tragedy in the family, or a political upheaval involving the whole
village. However, you do not have a lot of details that you can accurately
include. The answer to this is to keep a journal of all the events that you feel
are memorable. You may even list other less important events that could be
included to highlight the more important ones.

It would really help if you start keeping a journal (if you haven’t done so yet)
for this course.

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Glossary
Catalyst: something or someone that has made a significant change, but is in itself
unchanged
Editor: a person who is tasked to read and advise possible revisions for a piece of writing
Personalities: people who are well-known for their work or their media appearances
Status Quo: refers to what is generally accepted in society
Subgenre: a category within a bigger genre (e.g. myth as a type of speculative fiction)

References and Supplementary Materials

Books and Journals
Gilbert, E., Blanco, R., Lethem, J., Roorbach, B., Russo, R., Beattie, A., . . . Eggers, D. (2014).
The Story I Want To Tell: Explorations in the Art of Writing. Thomaston: Tilbury House
Publishers.
Lamott, A. (2016). Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. New York:
Bantam Doubleday Publishing Group.
Lopate, P. (2013). To Show and to Tell: The Craft of Literary Nonfiction. Wilmington:
University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Online Supplementary Reading Materials

Creative Nonfiction in Writing Courses;
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/753/1/; 18th October 2017

Online Instructional Videos

The Structure of Creative Nonfiction; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlguuzwdq_Y;
18th October 2017
Writing Creative Nonfiction; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--1WuiZhDnE; 18th
October 2017
4 Common Mistakes Beginners Make in Writing Nonfiction ;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2OsmkUwhjM; 18th October 2017