Principles, Elements, and Techniques • Devices of CNF PDF

# Principles, Elements, and Techniques & Devices of CNF ## Point of View (POV) The Point of view is the perspective of a story's narrator. As a writer, you need to decide what approach and POV to use. Your intentions as the writer will determine the approach you will use. ### First Person Point...

# Principles, Elements, and Techniques & Devices of CNF ## Point of View (POV) The Point of view is the perspective of a story's narrator. As a writer, you need to decide what approach and POV to use. Your intentions as the writer will determine the approach you will use. ### First Person Point of View It is commonly used in relating an event that you witnessed or experienced, such as a fond childhood memory, your first day in school, or what you did during school vacation. Uses pronouns I, ME, MY, WE. ### Second Person Point of View It is commonly used in writing pieces that aim to actively involve or talk to the readers by addressing them using the pronoun 'YOU'. ### Third Person Point of View It is commonly used in describing or revealing real people apart from oneself or in quoting what a real person has said, which results in a "he said" "she said" type of narrative. ### First Person POV Example The elevator doors open to the thirty-third floor, and I suck in my breath. I can feel the energy, like candy to the vein, as I look around at the people moving in and out of glass-doored conference rooms like extras on the show Suits, hired for today-for me, for my viewing pleasure alone. The place is in full bloom. I get the feeling that you could walk in here at any hour, any day of the week, and this is what you would see. Midnight on Saturday, Sunday at 8 a.m. It’s a world out of time, functioning on its own schedule. This is what I want. This is what I’ve always wanted. To be somewhere that stops at nothing. To be surrounded by the pace and rhythm of greatness. “Ms. Kohan?” A young woman greets me where I stand. She wears a Banana Republic sheath dress, no blazer. She’s a receptionist. I know, because all lawyers are required to wear suits at Wachtell. “Right this way.” An excerpt from “In Five Years” by Rebecca Serle ### Second Person POV Example You’re still trying to decide who to be. The self you’ve been lately doesn’t make sense anymore; that woman died with Uche. She’s not useful, unobtrusive as she is, quiet as she is, ordinary as she is. Not when such extraordinary things have happened. But you still don’t know where Nassun is buried, if Jija bothered to bury her. Until you’ve said farewell to your daughter, you have to remain the mother that she loved. So you decide not to wait for death to come. An excerpt from “The Fifth Season” by JK Nemisin ### Third Person POV Example The morning had dawned clear and cold, with a crispness that hinted at the end of summer. They set forth at daybreak to see a man beheaded, twenty in all, and Bran rode among them, nervous with excitement. This was the first time he had been deemed old enough to go with his lord father and his brothers to see the king’s justice fine. It was the ninth year of summer, and the seventh of Bran’s life. The man had been taken outside a small holdfast in the hills. Robb thought he was a wildling, his sword sworn to Mance Rayder, King-beyond-the-Wall. It made Bran’s skill prickle to think of it. An excerpt from "A Song of Ice and Fire" by George RR Martin ## Setting & Atmosphere This refers to the place and time in which the story takes place. In fiction writers can have very realistic settings like a mall, a classroom, or an abandoned building. Fictionists can also create settings that are not of this world. The CNF writer, on the other hand, has no choice but to stick to places that actually exist. Atmosphere or mood in CNF is the element that evokes certain feelings or emotions. It is conveyed primarily by the words used to describe the setting but can also be indicated by the way characters speak and act. ### Setting & Atmosphere Example At the annual Fourth of July celebration in her hometown, Anna meets a handsome young man from Mumbai, on his first trip to the U.S. To Anna, the town is familiar, comfortable. For her, the child of a Vietnam veteran, the celebration evokes deep national pride-or shame; or maybe the picnic on the common is a time for gathering with family and friends, celebrating summer. For the young man, in town on a short job assignment, his surroundings are unfamiliar, alien. These differences may draw them together-she introduces him to family and friends, explains customs, pulls him into her circle. Or create conflict-he’s bored, finds the pie-eating contest silly, feels out of place with the people. Either way, the setting sets the story in motion. What if, instead of a hometown celebration, Anna meets the same young man at night, in a bar in downtown L.A.? At a professional conference in Vegas? On a scotch tour in Edinburgh? On a plane during a turbulent cross-country flight? In a hotel lobby during a category 4 hurricane? ## Compare These Two Examples “The forest was dark and full of shadows. Wind rattled the trees, making the branches creak. Without leaves, they seemed to curl in the air like claws. Nearby, something skittered over the ground.” “The forest was ten degrees cooler, providing some much needed shade. The trees rustled in the wind, leafy branches like hands reaching for the sky. Nearby, a creature scampered over the ground, squeaking hello.” ## Setting and Atmosphere Your choice make an enormous difference to the outcome of your story. Depending on your preference and goals, you may choose setting based on plot, or you might put characters in a particular setting and let the story play out. In a book, settings are likely to change. As you write, try to be aware of this and consider the behaviors and emotional responses settings evoke. ## Why Is Creating Mood in Stories Important? Knowing how to establish mood in your stories is vital to good writing. A story with a cohesive and well-thought-out mood will create an emotional response in your readers, which acts as a hook that draws them into your story. Once your readers experience real feelings during your story, they’re more willing to pay attention to your message and remember your story long after they’ve finished and put it down. ## Literary Journalism/Reportage A form of creative nonfiction that presents verifiable data and well-researched information, like a film, or TV documentary. As a written genre, it is a hybrid between responsible journalism and imaginative literature. It pays close attention to sociocultural realities, past events, and current affairs. ## Literary Journalism Also known as narrative journalism, new journalism, and immersion journalism, this form of storytelling requires in-depth research, thorough interviewing, character development, scene setting, plot structure, and use of dialogue. It utilizes literary techniques to tell a true story about a person, place, event, topic, or experience. Since the characters and settings are real, this cannot be classified as fiction, but it’s not reporting or journalism in the traditional sense either. It calls for more intimate and firsthand interactions with the interview subject and issues explored, and the use of narrative techniques to recreate the scene and tell the story. ## Quick Tips - Use dialogue liberally. - Be descriptive. - Develop your own voice and style. - Show don’t tell. - Tell the truth. This is not fiction, so accuracy is essential. - Do not forget the 5Ws1H. (who, what, when, why, where, how) ## Thank You