Creative Composition 1: Creative Non-Fiction

Vocabulary flashcards covering types of creative nonfiction, essay components, and specific sub-genres like travel and food writing based on the lecture notes.

Creative Composition 1

A course that guides learners through an iterative process of inquiry, composition of original works, and reflection to refine their voice and narrative techniques.

Creative Non-Fiction

A genre that blends literary art (fiction, poetry) with factual nonfiction (research, journalism), using fiction techniques like setting, tone, and character to tell true stories.

Accuracy

A characteristic of creative nonfiction requiring the work to be well-researched and fact-checked to be trustworthy.

Engagement

The quality of making a story interesting and vivid to keep readers hooked.

Autobiography

A self-written account of a person's life, derived from the Greek terms "Auto" (self), "Bio" (life), and the suffix "-graphy" (writing).

Memoir

A narrative from the author's perspective about a significant life event or period, emphasizing the act of remembering (from the French word mémoire).

Diary

A record ideally maintained on a daily basis that includes routine activities, transactions, personal observations, feelings, and reflections.

Journal

A reflective piece of writing with a flexible schedule that often includes artistic touches like sketches, photographs, or poems to enrich the narrative.

Biography

A detailed account of a person's life written by someone other than the subject, aiming to present an accurate portrayal of their experiences and achievements.

Popular Biography

A type of biography focusing on the life story of famous or successful individuals such as celebrities, athletes, or politicians.

Literary Biography

A form of biography focusing on the life story of a literary figure, typically written by another author within the literary field.

Historical Biography

A narrative about a historical figure authored by a historian, focusing on personal life, historical events, and their impact on history.

Essay

An analytic, interpretative, or critical literary composition that is usually shorter than a dissertation and deals with a subject from a limited, often personal point of view.

Essayer

The French word from which 'essay' is derived, meaning to attempt or to try.

Informal Essay

Also called a Personal or Familiar essay, it includes personal elements, humor, and a rambling structure, often using colloquialisms to achieve a conversational tone.

Colloquialisms

Language used in everyday speech, often employed in informal essays.

Formal Essay

Also called a Non-Literary or Documented essay, it is characterized by serious purpose, dignity, logical organization, and cited research.

Introduction

The component of an essay that usually contains the thesis statement or the controlling idea the writer wants to share.

Supporting Paragraphs

Also known as the body of the essay, these offer evidence and logical arguments that enhance the thesis statement.

Transitional Paragraphs

Short paragraphs that indicate the divisions of an essay, especially in works of substantial length.

Concluding Paragraph

The section providing a fitting ending to the essay, often by restating the controlling idea or reflecting on the thesis statement.

Descriptive Essay

A kind of creative nonfiction whose main intention is to present the appearance or essence of something using sensory details.

Sensory Details

Particular items of information perceivable to the five human senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch.

Reflective Essay

An essay intended to analyze the significance of a past event through serious thought from the vantage point of the present, using memory as a major source.

Literary Reportage

A form of creative nonfiction that presents verifiable data and well-researched information, similar to a film or TV documentary.

Travel Writing

Creative nonfiction describing a narrator's experiences in foreign places, including journeys, local customs, and cultural landmarks.

Food Writing

A type of creative nonfiction that focuses on gustatory delights and treats eating as a form of adventure.