Creative Com

Creative Nonfiction

A genre that represents real events, people and factual experiences using literary techniques commonly found in fiction.

Characteristics of Creative Nonfiction

Fact-Based

Vivid Descriptions

Emotional Engagement

Storytelling

Personal Voice

Fact-Based

Grounded strictly in facts and reality

Vivid Descriptions

Employs rich imagery and sensory details

Emotional Engagement

Aims to move and connect with readers

Storytelling

Use narrative arcs and techniques

Personal Voice

Contains a distinct perspective on “I”

Major TYpes of Creative Nonfiction

• Memoir

• Autobiography

• Personal Essay

• Literary Journalism (Narrative Journalism)

• Biography

Memoir

A personal account focusing on specific experiences or periods in the writer’s life

Autobiography

A broader narrative that tells the entire story of the writer's entire life

Personal Essay

Explores the writer's thoughts, feelings, observations, or experiences on a particular topic.

Literary Journalism

Uses storytelling techniques to report real events and issues

Biography

The life story of another person, written by someone else.

Common Literary Techniques in Creative Nonfiction

1. imagery

2. Dialogue

3. Characterization

4. Setting

5. Narrative Voice

6. Anecdote

7. Reflection

8. Symboling

9. Foreshadowing

10. Flashback

11. Sensory Details

12. Metaphor

13. Simile

14. Personification

15. Tone and mood

Imagery

Uses descriptive language to appeal to the senses

Dialogue

Records conservations between real people

Characterization

Reaveals the personality, traits, and motivations of real people

Setting

Establishes the time and place of the story

Narrative Voice

The writer's unique style and perspective

Anecdote

A brief story used to illustrate a point or theme

Reflection

The writer's thoughts, insights, and interpretations of events

Symbolism

Uses an object, person, or event to represent a deeper meaning

Foreshadowing

Hints at events that will happen later in the narrative

Flashback

Interrupts the present narrative to revisit a past event

Sensory Details

Specific details that appeal to the five senses

Metaphor

Compares two unlike things without using like or as

Simile

Compares two unlike things using like or as

Personification

Gives human qualities to nonhuman things

Tone and Mood

Tone: The writer's attitude toward the subject

Mood: The feeling created iin the reader