Include your unique voice and perspective, even if the book or story is not about you. Writing a story is like building a house-if the foundation’s not solid, even the most beautiful structure won’t stand.Įxperts agree that these 7 elements must exist in a story (follow the links to study further). Resist the urge to show off all you learned with an information dump. Remember to use your research to season your main course-the point of your book. Your research should contribute to real stories well told. Become an avid researcher.Īre you being objective or spinning your own angle? Precise.Įmploying fictional literary tools doesn’t mean being loose with the facts. Readers love to be educated and entertained, but move them emotionally and they’ll never forget it. True art gives your reader credit for getting the point. Focused on the heart, but not preachy.Ĭreative nonfiction consists of an emotionally powerful message that moves readers, potentially changing their lives. You’ll quickly learn the conventions and expectations, what works and what doesn’t.
Read everything you can find in your genre before trying to write in it. The Best Creative Nonfiction Writers Are… 1. Bragg’s haunting, poetic prose was a byproduct of the point of his book, not the reason for it. My very favorite book ever, Rick Bragg’s memoir All Over but the Shoutin’, won rave reviews all over the country. Some nonfiction narratives carry a literary flair every bit as beautiful as classic novels. The goal is the same as in fiction: a story well told. Unlike academic and technical writing (and even objective journalism), creative nonfiction uses many of the techniques and devices employed in fiction to tell a compelling true story. It not only can, but should be to gain the attention of an agent or publisher-and ultimately your readership. “Creative” is usually associated with make-believe. What is Creative Nonfiction?Īlso referred to as literary or narrative nonfiction (and sometimes literary journalism), the term can be confusing. Creative nonfiction is often the best way to go. Take it from a novelist who also writes nonfiction: You don’t have to resort to fiction to captivate readers.
The power of creative nonfiction comes from using a technique common in fiction-rendering a visual to trigger the theater of the readers’ minds.Ĭertain stories should be told exactly as they happened. Your first paragraph-from the first sentence-must compel your reader to continue. If intrigued, they’ll turn to the first chapter. People browsing books usually scan the cover for the title, author, and whoever wrote the foreword.