So I realized I never posted my definition of creative non-fiction ....and I need more blog posts so here is it...
Creative non-fiction can be described in several different ways. Many people have come up with an idea of what defines Creative Nonfiction. According to Wikipedia, “Creative Nonfiction is a genre of writing which uses literary styles and techniques to create factually accurate narratives.”
Forms of Creative non-fiction can include personal essays, memoir, biography, and literary journalism. There are several characteristics that describe creative nonfiction. It must be factually accurate, and written with attention to literary style and technique. It presents useful, interesting facts based on exhaustive research. It presents details that help the reader understand the main point and the facts come alive through narration and setting. Creative Nonfiction shows rather than tells. Lee Gutkind, a professor in the Department of English at the University of Pittsburgh, states, “Ultimately, the primary goal of the creative nonfiction writer is to communicate information, just like a reporter, but to shape it in a way that reads like fiction.”
Creative Nonfiction can also be considered literary journalism. Bruce Dobler's Creative Nonfiction Compendium states that Creative Nonfiction is that branch of writing that can alternatively be known as "literary journalism" or the "literature of fact.” This is because it employs literary techniques and artistic vision to report on actual persons and events. Lee Gutkind describes that “the word “creative” refers simply to the use of literary craft in presenting nonfiction—that is, factually accurate prose about real people and events—in a compelling, vivid manner.” In other words, creative nonfiction writers do not make things up; they make ideas and information that already exist more interesting and more accessible.
John Mcphee’s The Curve of Binding Energy and Herbert Asbury All Around the Town are both good example of Creative Nonfiction. The Curve of Binding Energy is about the real life story of theoretical physicist Theodore B. Taylor. McPhee provides facts about nuclear weapons as well as information about safeguards; however he also incorporates a creative side to the book. John McPhee was able to create a strong Creative Nonfiction work by his research and creativity. All Around the Town in another literary work that provides real life events in combination with a creative element. Herbert Asbury tells various stories of events that occurred in New York City history. Like McPhee, he is provides researched information as well as detailed literacy techniques. He describes the real life events in his book with such detail the reader is able to picture the events in their minds. His creativity and factual information creates an interesting literacy work.
In conclusion, even though there is no one single definition that defines Creative Nonfiction, we can all agree that Creative Nonfiction combines factual information with a creative twist. I think Creative Nonfiction is an enjoyable and interesting genre of writing. It gives writers the opportunity to portray real life experiences while adding their own literary techniques to the story. As Lee Gutkind said, “It offers flexibility and freedom while adhering to the basic tenets of reportage. In creative nonfiction, writers can be poetic and journalistic simultaneously.”
