Getting Started in Creative Nonfiction (Post #2)

 Before writing a piece of creative non-fiction, it’s a good idea to really consider what is possible within the genre. There are endless debates about the boundary line between fact and fiction – and that boundary line is well worth exploring, but it’s important to maintain the contract to tell the truth (as outlined in the previous post).

We can maintain that contract by cuing the reader to instances where we slip into memory or imagination (that is, when the facts may not be there). For instance, you could say something like, “I imagine that my mother would have said x…” or “And I picture her doing x…” These cues let the reader know that we are filling in the blanks (and, we should only be doing so when it serves the greater truth of the story).    

Does the “creative” in the name “creative non-fiction” mean that we can make things up? The short answer: no. The “creative” in the name means that we can use creative storytelling methods (form, style, structure, literary devices…etc.) to tell a true story. If we find that we are making things up, we are likely writing fiction based on fact and should be publishing it as such.   

Creative non-fiction differs from straight nonfiction in its intent as well. Creative non-fiction is literary.   

What is meant by literary prose?    

- literary writing aspires to art 

- artful writing 

-reaches to the universal—moves from the specific/concrete to a greater truth - reveals larger truths about all aspects of the human experience (uses the personal/specific and moves us somewhere larger). In terms of CNF, not just sharing for the sake of sharing, but sharing with a greater purpose. 

- makes meaning (there’s a greater significance) 

- layered/complex 

- leaves room for the reader to think and to feel 

- compelling on an emotional and intellectual level 

- moves away from entertainment writing (distinguished from other kinds of writing in its intention) 

- may incorporate a variety of literary devices – metaphor, extended metaphor, allusion, imagery, etc.   

Would you add anything else to this definition of literary?  To review the goals of creative non-fiction and learn about some basic techniques, please visit my previous post.