A Look At Creative Nonfiction Writing

Two things that you may not equate with one another are creativity and nonfiction. However, creative nonfiction writing is alive and well. Most every type of nonfiction is creative in some way. Some exceptions would be technical writing, textbooks, manuals and the like. Pieces like essays, articles, nonfiction books and other works can be very creative even if the subject matter is nonfiction. Many of the very same principles of fiction writing are used, as well as other techniques to make nonfiction an interesting thing to read.

First let's look at the creative writing essay. An essay is a piece of prose centered around a true event, person, idea or concept. An essay can be anything from what you did over the summer to how you dealt with the death of a family member. Essays can be comedic, tragic, informative, literary, all the things fiction can be. As a writer, my first published essay was a humorous look at surviving a stomach virus while caring for a baby and a toddler. Other essays may focus on activism, calling attention to a certain cause through the power of the prose.

The article is another piece of creative nonfiction. Articles can be about anything, depending on who you are writing for and what your assignment is. Some writers work for magazines or ezines and are told what to write about, others write on speculation then submit their articles to appropriate periodicals and/or websites. There are so many different slants you can take on one topic. Your own unique voice will come out even when writing factual information and the way you organize and structure the article is a work of creativity itself. Articles are like essays, they can be light, heavy, informative, entertaining, however you choose to write them.

Then of course there is the book. Nonfiction books can be the most creative of all, as the author has pages and pages in which to let their creativity run wild within the subject matter. For example, consider the many biographies of Marilyn Monroe. Each one contains factual information, often the same information, however each book is different because the authors are. Creative nonfiction writing can be just as fulfilling as writing fiction, if not more so for writers who have a soft spot for writing nonfiction. For some writers, nonfiction is more enjoyable and easier for them to write than fiction.

 




Creative Writing Education News:

 

Examining the Workshop - Inside Higher Ed

Inside Higher Ed

Examining the Workshop
Inside Higher Ed
Each comes from an author known for generating buzz and controversy, and each focuses on the creative writing workshop, that staple of writing programs and authors' groups everywhere. While book and play share a surprising amount of thematic ground, .

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India Ink: Why a Liberal Arts Education Matters
A native of Kolkata, India, writes of attending Harvey Mudd College in California, where she studied physics and math, as well as philosophy and creative writing, an experience that taught her how to think critically and ask questions...


'Hot for Teacher' Essay Sinks Student
An Oakland University student claimed Wednesday his "Hot for Teacher"-inspired essay, which gained him persona non grata status at the Michigan institution, was protected by his First Amendment right. Joseph Corlett, a 56-year-old writing and rhetoric major from Lake Orion, wrote the essay as a part of a creative writing journal...


Flexible Writing, Web & Graphic Design Jobs on the Rise - San Francisco Chronicle (press release)

Flexible Writing, Web & Graphic Design Jobs on the Rise
San Francisco Chronicle (press release)
The three creative job fields saw biggest increases in available employment according to FlexJobs' monthly index report. Jobs perceived as more typical for flexible work experienced several months of declining job postings, but rebounded in January .

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Why creative writing?
Why Creative Writing? A common question I have been asked as I get busy with college applications. Heres my thinking. Our body is made up mostly of oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, etc., and when we die, our bodies will decompose and become worm-food. I want something, SOMETHING I can leave behind that says who I was [.]..


 




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