Some of the best authors that best characterize creative nonfiction writing include John Hersey, John McPhee, Joan Didion and Tom Wolf. The genre is also called literary journalism or new journalism, which began in the 1960s. Whether the writing is in the form of an essay, short story or magazine article, it is distinguished by the use of literary elements and embellished style.
Basic Elements Used to Write Good Creative Nonfiction
Like any story in a book or film, it’s the literary elements of theme, setting, characters, plot, point-of-view (POV) and dialogue that give meaning and substance to a narrative. Plain nonfiction writing just reports the facts and describes the moment, but creative nonfiction writing recreates the moment by making the scene come alive as in a movie. A successful story:
- Stirs emotions
- Has a narrative arc
- Has a theme
- Shows instead of tells
- Uses lots of details
How to Write Nonfiction Stories Creatively
It may be difficult to write a creative story when the facts are boring, but it can open up more room for creativity on the writer’s part. A good example is author John McPhee, who has the ability to take anything (an orange) and turn it into an interesting topic. Creative nonfiction writing requires imagination, diligent research and reporting and full immersion. For instance, if the story took place in a small town in Mississippi, it would be helpful to visit the site and get an accurate feel of the scene.
Accuracy is important in nonfiction writing, so it’s important to record conversations and interviews with a tape recorder instead of just relying on memory. Don’t make up facts. If needed, use the words “perhaps” or “maybe” to describe a possible but unsure occurrence as Sebastian Junger did in The Perfect Storm. During the writing process, consider using the following to develop a creative story:
- Dialogues
- Punctuation: This can include frequent stops with periods, exclamation marks to show excitement in the character, or a lack of punctuation marks as Tom Wolf does effectively in “The Girl of the Year”
- Point-of-view: Going back and forth from different character narrations adds creativity and engages the reader
- Symbolism and metaphors
- Structure: Arrange paragraphs and sentences nontraditionally and avoid being formulaic
- Be strategic with tone, voice and style
Writing creative nonfiction can be a long, arduous process but it’s very well worth the effort in order to create an engaging piece. Start with extensive reporting and research. Then cull the facts, organize, brainstorm, make an outline, and then start writing.
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