Creative Nonfiction Techniques PDF

**Week 1: PRINCIPLES, ELEMENTS, TECHNIQUES, AND DEVICES USED IN CREATIVE NONFICTION** **Elements and Techniques of CNF** - Fact - Extensive research - Reportage/Reporting - Personal experience and personal opinion - Explanation/Exposition - Essay format **Literary Devices and Tec...

**Week 1: PRINCIPLES, ELEMENTS, TECHNIQUES, AND DEVICES USED IN CREATIVE NONFICTION** **Elements and Techniques of CNF** - Fact - Extensive research - Reportage/Reporting - Personal experience and personal opinion - Explanation/Exposition - Essay format **Literary Devices and Techniques Used by Writers in Creative Nonfiction** 1. Character/s 2. Detail 3. Dialogue 4. Diction 5. Figurative languange 6. Flashback 7. Flash forward 8. Foreshadowing 9. Imagery 10. Motif 11. Narrative 12. Order 13. Plot and Plot Structure 14. Point of View 15. Setting and Atmosphere 16. Style 17. Symbol 18. Theme 19. Tone **Week 2: LITERARY ELEMENTS** Literary elements are narrative techniques that enhance a piece of writing, adding character and an element of surprise. These elements are crucial for engaging readers and enriching the storytelling experience. **Personal Experiences in Writing** Writers often share their personal experiences through various forms of texts, such as journals, memoirs, or autobiographies. It is essential for authors to connect with a captive audience, ensuring that their stories resonate and engage readers effectively. **Character** Characters are fundamental to storytelling and can be: - People - Animals - Creatures - Inanimate objects Characters can be real or imaginary and are essential for creating a narrative. They evolve throughout the story, shaped by the author\'s writing and the reader\'s interpretation of their actions and dialogue. Characters can evoke emotions and can be categorized as: - Well-developed (round) - Two-dimensional (flat) **Characterization** Characterization refers to the methods an author uses to reveal a character\'s personality. This technique brings characters to life and can be achieved through: - **Direct Characterization:** The author explicitly describes the character. - **Indirect Characterization:** The author reveals the character\'s traits through actions, thoughts, and dialogue. **Character Traits** Common character traits include: - Honest - Light-hearted - Leader - Expert - Brave **Figurative Language** Figurative language is a form of expression that conveys meaning or enhances effect by comparing or identifying one thing with another. It often employs non-literal phrases for rhetorical or vivid impact. Key types of figurative language include: - **Alliteration** (repetition of initial consosnant sounds) - **Anaphora** (repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of succesive sentences, phrases, ot clause) - **Assonance** (repetition of similar vowel sounds in words that are near each other in poetry or phrase) - **Chiasmus** (repetition of words/phrases in reverse order) - **Hyperbole** (exaggaerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally) - **Irony** (the use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning) - **Metaphor** (a figure of speech that compares two non-similar things without using \"like\" or \"as\") - **Simile** (a figure of speech comparing two unlike things that is often introduced by like or as (as in cheeks like roses)) - **Metonymy** (a word that is associated with something is used to refer to that thing, as when crown is used to mean \"king\" or \"queen) (symbolic) **Dialogue** Dialogue in writing should be concise and economical. It serves two primary functions: - Moves the action forward in the narrative. - Helps to characterize the individuals involved in the conversation. **Plot Structure** Understanding plot structure is essential for crafting a compelling narrative. It involves the arrangement of events and actions that make up a story, guiding the reader through the narrative arc. - **Traditiona pyramid or In medias res** - **Inverted pyramid or ab ovo** **Week 3: EXPLORING AUTOBIOGRAPHIES** **AUTOBIOGRAPHY-** is a nonfiction story of a person's life, written from their point of views - Uses first person's pov "I" **Auto-** in greek, means **self** **Autobiography= self-biography** **6 ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF AUTOBIOGRAPHY** **1. A description of your personal origin story -This can include your hometown, your family history, some key family members and loved ones, and touchstone moments in your education.** **2. Significant experiences -Add accounts of each personal experience that shaped your worldview and your approach to life in the present day.** **3. Detail recollections of episodes from your personal and professional life - Often, these are the turning points that your autobiography will be known for---the moments that would inspire someone to pick up your book in the first place. Be sure to give them extra care and attention.** **4. A personal story of failure- Follow your setbacks with a good story of how you responded to that failure.** **5. A unique and compelling title- Steer clear of generic phrases like "my autobiography" or "the story of me, my family, and famous people I know."** **6. A first-person narrative voice- Third-person writing is appropriate for traditional biographies, but the third-person voice can read as presumptuous in the autobiography format. Stick to first-person for a more intimate feel.** **HOW TO WRITE AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY** **1. Start by brainstorming** **- The writing process begins by compiling any life experiences you suspect might be compelling to a reader.** **2. Craft an outline** **- Begin to organize a narrative around the most compelling episodes from your brainstorm.** **3. Do your research** **- Once you have the first draft of your outline, engage in some research to help you recall contextual information from the period you are writing about.** **4. Write your first draft** **- If you've come up with the key biographical moments around which you can anchor your life story, then you are ready to attempt the first draft.** **5. Take a break** **- Take a few days off when your first draft is complete.** **6. Proofread** **- After a brief layoff, begin proofreading.** **7. Write your next draft** **- Write a second draft based on the notes you've given yourself.** **8. Refine your writing** **- Follow new revisions with new reads from new people.** **Week 4: WHAT IS BIOGRAPHY AND AUTOBIOGRAPHY?** **Biography-** is a detailed third person account of another person's life story. **Purpose of biography** the purpose of a biography is to share the life of another person with am audience. An author may choose to write a biography because they find the ssubject's story to be interestering or to have themes that apply to life today. **6 Tips of Writing Biography** **1. Tip \#1 Get Permission - Once you've chosen the subject of the biography, seek permission to write about their life.** **2. Tip \#2 Do Your Research - Regardless of how much you know about your subject, an extensive amount of research is necessary to paint a thorough picture of this person.** **2 Sources for Research** ** Primary Sources - are firsthand accounts of your subject's life and tend to be the most reliable sources.** ** Secondary Sources - like magazines or documentaries, can also be used if the information is proven accurate.** **3. Tip \#3 Form Your Thesis - Your first paragraph or chapter should inform the reader what they will learn about this person from this biography.** **4. Tip \#4 Make a Timeline - A biography usually structures the main points of a person's life in chronological order.** **5. Tip \#5 Use Flashbacks- While writing the text of your biography, you may want to intercut between an experience from your subject's adult life and one from their high school days.** **6. Tip \#6 Include Your Thoughts - A biography isn't just a transaction of facts.** **Week 5: JOURNAL** **Why do we write?** -On some level, a motive for all writing in self-expression -Journaling is an effective way to keep in contact with your own thought, improve your writing ability, and develop disciplined writing habits. **What is journaling?** -journaling, quite simply, is a written record of your thoughts, feeling or observation. The first rule of journal is that 'There's no worng way to do it." **What can you do in journal?** - **Free write** - **Jot down bullets** - **Make to-do list** **Journaling practices** - **Bullet journaling** - **Writing prompts** - **Doodles** - **Observation** **What is a prompt?** -A prompt is the term used for the question you are being ask. **Types of prompt** **Narrative-** asks you to tell a story or give examples from your own experiences. - Clue words- tell, time, event **Persuasive-** asks you to persuade or convince the reader of composing of something (can require research) - Clue words- convince, persuade **Expository-** - Clue words- explain, decribe **Benefits of journal** - Embarks a process of self-discovery - Helps you sort out your feelings about your own life and the world around you - Improves your mental health - Serves as fun and useful time capsule **Journals can be written anywhere** Notebook Sketchbook Word Document Blog Bound Journals Benefits of Journal Embarks a process of self-discovery Helps you sort out your feelings about your own life and the world around you Improves your mental health **How Journaling Can Make You a Better Writer** Sharpen your observation skills Help you find beauty in the mundane Develop writing discipline **5 Tips for Starting & Keeping a Journal** ** Write at odd Hours -** Scheduling your writing time is important, but it's also a worthwhile practice to write at odd and spontaneous hours, when your mind and mood are altered. ** Write every day -** Some people like to write morning pages when they first wake up. ** Bring your journal with you every day-**Sometimes, life gets in the way, and you find that you aren't able to write during your scheduled journaling time**.** ** Use journaling prompts -** Using journal prompts can be a helpful way to engage in the practice of writing daily. ** Relax -** Close your eyes. Take deep breaths**.** **Week 6: DIARY** **The BASIC of diary** A diary is a specific kind of journal where you write down the events of each day, resulting in a chronicle of your life. A form of autobiographical writing, a regulary kept record of the diarist's activities and reflection. The term **DIARY** is derived from the latin 'DIARIUM' itself derived from 'DIES' meaning 'DAY'. **Famous examples of diaries** - The diary of Anne Frank - Memorials of the english affairs by Whitelock - The Journal of Stella by Jonathan Swift **Why write a diary?** - Therapeutic - Productive - Creative **Benefits of keeping a diary** - Private and honest- when talking to people sometimes we feel as though we cannot be 100% honest. - Looking back- diaries are also great way to record life experiemces and learn from them. - Practice writing- if you have ever wanted to get better at writing, the only way is to just write. - Relax -- writing can be very therapeutuc and it is a great way to relieve stress. - Find solutions- keeping a diary is a great way of problem solving. **Types of diary** **\*Academic \*secret \*bible** **\*Food \*wedding \*five year** **\*Health \*work** **\*School \*travel** **Week 7: MEMOIR** **'Memoir'** comes from the french word for **'memory',** so logical first step in writing your own memoir is to search your memory for the events and time periods that have most shaped you. What is a memoir? is a nonfiction book that presents a firsthand retelling of a period in a author's own life. Does not document the memoirist's entire life story but rather a selected era or specific multi-era journey. A memoir may concern its author's entire life but through a particular lens-such as the events leading up to and surrounding their **professional career.** Memoirs reveals more about their authors and those author's life experiences. **3 examples of memoirs** 1. The year of magical thinking by Joan Didion 2. Darkness Visible by William Styron 3. Magnificent Desolation by Buzz Aldrin **6 Tips in Writing a MEMOIR** **1. Choose a Period in Your Life That Feels Especially Unique to You.** - Strong memoirs talk about parts of a person's life that could not have happened to anyone else. **2. Outline the Structure of Your Memoir. -** This will help you determine if you have enough stories and thoughts to fill a full book. **3. Research the Period You'll Be Writing About.** - A great way to do this is to interview people you were around during the events of the memoir. **4.Remember That This Is Not a Diary Entry. -**Although you are presumably the main character of your memoir, you are not the audience. **5. Seek Outside Perspectives. -** Typically it's good to write a first draft of your memoir, take a few days off, read it back to yourself, and then dive into a second draft. **6. Remember Who Your Audience Is.** - With humility, you'll understand that events aren't necessarily interesting simply because they happened to you personally. **6 Key Elements of a Memoir** ** A theme:** When writing a book of your life experiences, it's tempting to try to write every interesting personal story that has occurred in your life. ** Obstacles**: Once you've settled on your theme, it's time to outline the key events of your memoir. ** Emotional beats:** The best memoirs take the reader on an emotional journey. ** Supporting stories:** Writing memoirs involves plumbing the depths of your real-life story and presenting those key events with honesty and transparency. ** Personal style:** Writing memoirs is an opportunity to tell a story from your life, but it's also a chance to tell that story in a way that nobody else can. ** Honesty:** One of the defining characteristics of a memoir is brutal honesty. Remember, readers pick up a memoir expecting a true story. **Week 8: LITERARY JOURNALISM** **Journalism** is a composition of nonfiction. It refers to the practice of investigating and reporting events, issues, and trends to the mass audience via various medium of mass communication. **Journalism** requires saturation/immersion reporting and field observation and is held up by the truths, ethics, and credibility of the advanced sources it uses (Masse, 2010) **Literature** refers to the writing that is characteristic of literature and of literary quality. **Literature** requires literary techniques such as scenes, characterization, description, dialogue, POV, metaphor/similes, style (irony, symbolism, foreshadowing), and voice. **Result-** a collusion between the two is reffered to as literary journalism. - A serious new art form that combined the power of truth with the drama of story. What is **LITERARY JOURNALISM?** **-**sometimes called narrative journalism or literature of fact, is a style of reportage that presents true stories in a more narrative way, using storytelling techniques to create a gripping and personal form of journalism. \- is a type of creative nonfiction that is similar to (and sometimes overlaps with) the **personal essay, travel writing, and long-form journalism.** **-** must deliver facts and comment on current events in ways that speak to much larger big picture truths about **culture, politics, and other major facets of life.** **What are the POVs for Literary Journalism?** **FIRST-PERSON POV -** literary journalism often inserts its writers into the story via **first-person narration** that places the author in the story as a character. **THIRD-PERSON LIMITED POV** - literary journalism might also rely on third-person limited point of view to allow readers to immerse themselves in the story **What are the task of literary journalists?** Literary journalists use interviews and research to **investigate, profile, and report.** Literary journalists use an engaging writing style to craft memorable stories. **What is the history of Literary Journalism?** 1960- literary journalism first received recogniton as a movement called **new jouralism.** 1973 -- The anthology, The New Journalism, Tom Wolfe presents a theory stating that novelists lost interest in social realism, leaving a gap for journalists to explore the cultural changes of the time**.** 1990s **-- The New Journalism** was rebranded as **"Literary Journalism"** or **"Creative Nonfiction."** **4 TIPS IN WRITING LITERARY JOURNALISM** 1. **Be there.** The scene-by-scene construction is so important to journalistic storytelling is only possible if you're actually there. 2. **Record your dialogue.** Since realistic dialogue is such an important part of literary journalism, you'll want to have the most accurate recording of your dialogue possible. 3. **Edit your dialogue in the spirit of the subject.** The writen word can come across differently from the spoken word, so it's the author's responsibility to translate. 4. **Ask questions**. Remember that it's okay to play dumb or ask obvious questions to get confirmation from your subject. Don't assume that you know anything---that's how you make mistakes. **Week 10: TRAVELOGUE OR TRAVEL WRITING** **Travelogue**- a film, article, lecture, or slide show regarding travel. -The writer crafts articles or essays about travel using literary devices A travel literature typically records the experiences of an authors touring a place for the pleasure of travel. Literary travelogues generally exhibit a coherent narrative or aesthetic beyond the logging of dates and events as found in travel journals. **PURPOSE OF TRAVELOGUE** The purpose of a travelogue is to tell about aspect(s) of a trip, and possibly to entice people to take trip like yours, and to tell others about it. **How to write a travelogue?** Travelogues are the story of your visit to a place. They can be organized a number of ways: **Chronological narrative:** Tell the story of your trip from the start to finish. (On our first day, we stayed in the quiant hotel on bordeaux, france.) **Organized by topic:** Use a theme that holds it all together: (Restaurants of Europe, The Best Places to Visit in \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_.) **Organized by town/city/etc.** A review of a number of locations to visit, with a similar focus for each. (In Paris, we stay at..., eat at..., and be sure to see... In...)