Creative Nonfiction Midterm Topics PDF

Creative Nonfiction: Midterm Topics Prepared by: Miss Jersie R. Veneracion Creative Nonfiction and Other Literary Genres Creative Nonfiction Works in creative nonfiction are always true. They are taken from the experiences of the author. Creativity comes from how memories are told and d...

Creative Nonfiction: Midterm Topics Prepared by: Miss Jersie R. Veneracion Creative Nonfiction and Other Literary Genres Creative Nonfiction Works in creative nonfiction are always true. They are taken from the experiences of the author. Creativity comes from how memories are told and described. Five Main Elements of Creative Nonfiction Setting The setting is the time and place in which the story happens. It is established early so that readers can easily visualize the story and immerse themselves in it. Descriptive Imagery and Figurative Language Descriptive imagery is how the author presents an image in the readers' minds. It involves one or more of the five senses. Figurative language is the use of language in unusual or surprising ways to describe literary moments in the story. Examples of this are metaphors, similes, and hyperbole. Plot and Characters Creative nonfiction tells a story from the author’s memory in a way that follows a plot. A clear plot helps readers identify the main subject or reason of the story. Fiction probably has the most in common with creative nonfiction. Their biggest difference is that works of fiction aren’t necessarily factual. Works of fiction are products of the author’s imagination. Comparison of Creative Nonfiction and Fiction Setting Creative Nonfiction: The setting is established early and defines when and where the story occurs. Fiction: The setting serves the same purpose but does not have to be an existing place and time. Characters Creative Nonfiction: Characters are the important people in the author’s memories. Fiction: Characters are people in the author’s story that move the plot. They are not necessarily people that exist in real life. Plot Creative Nonfiction: The plot organizes the author’s memories. It helps readers identify the main purpose of the text. Fiction: The plot shows the order of the events that take place. It helps tell the author's story and is normally centered around a conflict. Language Creative Nonfiction: Descriptive imagery and figurative language are important parts of creative nonfiction and serve to enrich its storytelling. Fiction: Descriptive imagery and figurative language immerse the audience more and improve storytelling. Poetry Poetry has works that structurally look nothing like works of creative nonfiction. Many of poetry’s elements are not shared by creative nonfiction. Structure Structure refers to how a poem is organized. Poems have many forms, from a set form like a sonnet to a free form without “rules” to follow. Rhyme, Rhythm, and Meter These techniques in poetry can ○ organize emotion, ○ highlight a particular word or phrase, and ○ emphasize certain emotions or actions. Many poems use these techniques to convey as much as possible within several lines. Figurative Language Poetry employs figurative language a lot to add to its depth. Both poetry and creative nonfiction use figurative language to add new meaning to words used. Unlike with fiction and creative nonfiction, poetry does not often make use of characters. In poetry, the most important character is the poem's persona or speaker. When writing poetry, keep in mind that the speaker is not always you or the author. In this sense, it is similar to the narrators of fiction, which can be a character in the story or an outsider observing the story. Drama Drama has more in common with fiction and creative nonfiction than poetry. The three genres share many of their main elements Setting The setting serves the same purpose as in creative nonfiction and fiction, but in dramas it is usually stated outright at the start. Characters Characters in drama also progress the plot and interact with other characters, but more emphasis is placed on their spoken lines, be it in dialogues, soliloquies, and more. Plot The plot of a drama works nearly the same way as in fiction and creative nonfiction. In plays, the plot can be organized into “acts” or major divisions to distinguish key parts of the plot. Figurative Language Figurative language, often found in the characters’ spoken lines, whether in dialogues or monologues, often adds layers of depth and allows for further analysis. Texts in drama are often written to be performed on stage. Many dramas are written like poetry, with the characters’ lines following a specific rhyme, rhythm, and/or meter. Conventions, Elements, and Techniques of Poetry Poems structurally look nothing like works of fiction and creative nonfiction. They are usually much shorter and are organized differently from prose works. The Stanza Poems are typically written with stanzas. A stanza is a series of poetic lines that are grouped together. These stanzas can then come in different lengths. Types of Poetry Poetry can also come in many different forms and types. Lyric poetry focuses on the thoughts and emotions of the poet or the persona. Narrative poetry focuses on storytelling. Descriptive poetry uses rich imagery to describe the world around the poet or persona. Structural Types of Poetry Poems can also follow specific structural types. These structural types usually follow different rules and conventions on the following: ○ length of the poem ○ number of lines per stanza ○ number of syllables per line ○ the rhyme scheme of the overall poem ○ the specific topic of the poem Elements of Poetry Rhythm is how the syllables in a line of poetry are stressed and unstressed. Meter is the specific syllabic patterns in the rhythm of a line of poetry.  Rhyme is made when two words in close proximity of each other have similar sounds. A rhyme scheme is the larger pattern of rhyming in a poem. Assonance is when vowel sounds are repeated, usually two or more times in short succession. Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same way as assonance. Alliteration is the repetition of starting consonant sounds in consecutive or nearby words. Voice refers to the speaker and the tone of the poem. Speaker is simply the narrator of the poem. Take note that the speaker of the poem is not always the poet. A persona may be used. Tone is the speaker’s implied attitude toward the subject. It is important to keep the tone consistent in any literary work. Always be mindful of the tone you want to express in your writing and establish it early to help you choose your words and imagery. Diction refers to word choice. It is closely tied to imagery and figures of speech. Word choices create images, which are what we perceive with our senses or understand with our minds. When we use a single metaphor to frame an entire poem or even story, we have begun using allegory. If the poet uses a metaphor that has often been used in a particular way then that is symbolism. Comparison with Fiction and Creative Nonfiction Poetry: Lines of poetry are divided by stanzas. These lines often have the same main idea. Creative Nonfiction/Fiction: Sentences are put together in paragraphs. Paragraphs have different main ideas but all support a main theme. Poetry: Poetry can come in different types, like lyric poetry or narrative poetry. Creative Nonfiction/Fiction: There are also different types, like the short story or the novel for fiction and the memoir or the autobiography for creative nonfiction. Poetry: While there is such a thing as free form poetry, poems may be written with specific structures that dictate rhyming, number of syllables, number of lines per stanza, and more. Creative Nonfiction/Fiction: Some types of fiction and creative nonfiction dictate word count, formality of language, topic, and more, but is not as concerned with structure as poetry. Poetry: The speaker of the poem, often referred to as the persona, is not necessarily the poet him or herself. Creative Nonfiction/Fiction: Prose pieces can have many narrators, from characters speaking in first person, the author him or herself, to an unspecified third person. Poetry: Tone in poetry is established by the choice of words and imagery used in a poem. Creative Nonfiction/Fiction: Fiction and creative nonfiction are also concerned with tone as it shows what the author feels about the topic he or she is discussing, and it is also established by vocabulary and imagery. Poetry: Poetry makes heavy use of imagery and figures of speech to support the theme of the poem and to help establish tone.  Creative Nonfiction/Fiction: Prose texts can also make use of imagery and figures of speech, for example in descriptions, character dialogue, or in establishing theme. Poetry: Many poems are written around a particular symbolism or allegory, and it can be an effective way of maintaining the theme. Creative Nonfiction/Fiction: Prose texts can also have symbolisms and allegories, usually to establish the theme, to foreshadow events or plot points, or to set the mood, among others. Conventions, Elements, and Techniques of Drama Elements of Drama Plots in dramas move the same as in fiction and nonfiction. They are divided into acts and scenes. Dramatic action is a driving force that moves the plot. It can create meaning, tension, and audience engagement. Role focuses on the person’s type or stereotype. Character focuses on the specific qualities. Relationships are the connections and interactions between characters. Tension is a sense of conflict between characters. A plot convention often used in dramas is in medias res, literally “in the midst of things,” which is when the story begins right in the middle of the action. The advantage of using this in dramas is that the audience can immediately see and feel the conflict and dramatic tension without much need for exposition. Take note that this can be used in other literary genres as well. When performing, setting is made obvious by the stage design, props, costumes, and the like. The situation is a more focused setting of the drama. The mood and atmosphere stress the tone of the physical space, stage, and dramatic action. Voice is about the actors’ delivery of their lines. Movement uses facial expressions, posture, and actions. They can define roles, situations, relationships, and more. Focus is directing the audience to a specific direction or space. Diction can signify the emotion, tone, and inner feelings of characters. It can be used as figurative language and symbolism. Symbolism can be seen in the props, stage sets, or in the characters’ costumes and actions. Comparison with Prose and Poetry Drama: The plot is moved by dramatic action, which is influenced by many other elements of drama. Prose and Poetry: The plot for prose follows the standard diagram, but the structure of the story itself can vary. A specific type of poetry has a plot, but this is not a commonly used element of poetry. Drama: Characters can have unique and specific traits, but some of them also fill roles. Relationships are also vital, and can provide dramatic tension in scenes.  Prose and Poetry: Characters in prose help move the plot. In creative nonfiction, they are real people in the author’s life. The only character usually present in poetry is the persona. Drama: The setting is usually written at the start of the drama text. In performances, the setting can also be described by the stage set, props, costumes, and other elements. Prose and Poetry: Setting in prose can be described through narration or dialogue and can be supported by the other elements. If the poem were describing a place or time, it could act as the setting. Drama: Voice and movement refer to the way the performers talk and act and can add to the dramatic action. Prose and Poetry: Voice in both refers to the author, narrator, or persona’s voice and tone, which shows how they feel about the topic or main idea of the work. What unites all four literary genres is language, symbolism, and allegory. These are used to give words and phrases additional meanings beyond the literal. In drama, symbolism can also appear in the performances, like on the sets, props, or costumes FINALS Autobiography and Biography Nature of Writing a Biography Written from the third-person perspective Mostly formal tone Use of compound and complex sentences Written in the past tense Follows a chronological order of details Elements of Biography Factual evidence – These are facts and information about the person whose life will be written about. Chronology – Since biographies are highly chronological, the sequence of events from childhood to adulthood plays an important part in the text. Details – Dialogues or direct lines from the person are some of the details in a biography. Biographers gather these details through interviewing, archiving, researching, and the like. Author’s purpose – Biographers are usually hired to write a piece showcasing a person’s life. Nature of Writing an Autobiography Written from the first-person perspective Mostly for personal consumption of an individual May exhibit a sense of subjectivity Has an informal tone and is conversational for the readers Written in an anecdotal style Feelings, emotions, and realizations of the writer are included Elements of Autobiography Setting – gives the time, place, and context by which the author’s part of the story is told Characters – real-life people who help readers better understand the author’s standpoint Chronology – the sequence of events in an autobiography is essential Details – writers use either objective, subjective, or anecdotal accounts to present details in the text Diary and Journal Diary A diary is a daily record of events, experiences, and personal thoughts. The word “diary” comes from the Latin word “diarium,” meaning daily allowance or daily record. While diaries mainly focus on significant events, they provide a private space for self-expression and emotional release. The focus is on recording daily experiences, thoughts, and feelings for personal reflection. Unlike journals that can be more thematic, diaries offer an intimate view of your personal life, meant for your eyes only. Journal A journal is a tool for self-exploration, reflection, and personal development. Journals often focus on emotions, goals, and inner experiences rather than just daily events. The term “journal” originates from the Old French word “jornel,” meaning daily. This practice drives personal growth by sparking solutions and actionable goals, ultimately enhancing creativity and communication skills. The journal’s creative space can include poetry, quotes, and collages, promoting deeper introspection and enriching your writing experience. Testimonios and Review Testimonios A testimonio narrates a belief that is harmful to others and suggests a plan of action against it. The author should be part of a group that experiences firsthand human rights issues like abuse, war, and social oppression. Elements of Testimonio Injustice narrative. Because a testimonio deals with social injustices and issues, its content must dwell on the story of the experience. Representation of a larger class. It should be made clear that the experience shared in the testimonio is representative of a larger group. Recommendation to work for a better future. The call to action is essential and is directed to the people or systems that can work for a better future. When writing a testimonio, consider following the format: I. a narration of injustices experienced by representative group II. the recovery process from the injustices experienced III. call to action With this format, the call to action will stick with the readers the most, which is the intention of the testimonial. Review A review is a critical appraisal of a product so that potential consumers can have an idea of what to expect. Elements of Review Supporting details for the rating. The review must back up the given rating with details. Description of the customer experience. Make sure that your review is relatable to potential customers. Some of the supporting details of your review should be talking about your experience as a customer. Specific feedback. In relation to the first element discussed, the feedback you give in the review should cover as many relevant aspects of the product as possible, but your feedback on the aspects should be specific as well. Travelogues, Food Articles, Blogs Travelogue a person’s account of his or her journey to a certain place can be a written report with factual details or like a narrative filled with your personal experiences may even be supported with pictures Food Article A food article should be able to talk about the experience of eating the food. Use all of the five senses together. It is easy to remember to talk about the food’s taste. Use the other senses as well to create a much more vivid picture for your readers. Blogs A blog is an online journal published independently and can serve a number of purposes. When writing a blog, pick a topic and angle you are passionate about, organize your thoughts, write naturally and emphatically, and start and end strong.