Creative Nonfiction

What is creative nonfiction?

Creative nonfiction is writing that uses all the literary techniques of fictional storytelling to narrating real-life events and experiences. Creative nonfiction is, by definition, personal writing. It is writing that is based on facts, but brought to life using the literary techniques of good fiction writing.

Types of creative nonfiction include:

Personal Essays are exploratory essays about a topic of interest. Think about writing about an idea or belief. Write out your ideas in a creative way using metaphors or analogies to make it come to life.

Personal Narratives are stories about a time in a person’s life. Personal narratives include plot, characters, and setting, just like fictional stories, but only tell about true events.

Memoirs, like personal narratives, tell a story based on a person’s life, experience, or observations. A personal narrative can be a memoir, but a memoir can also be about someone else's life or events that the writer has observed.

Biographies are true events of a person’s life told by someone other than than person. If I wrote a biography of Jane Austen, I would write what I know of her life. You could write a biography of a family member based on stories and facts you've heard of this person.

Autobiographies are true events of a person's life told by the person himself. If i wrote a story of my life, that would be an autobiography. Personal narratives and memoirs are autobiographical in nature.

Travel Writing is writing about places you’ve visited. You could write about a place to which you traveled.

Journalism is writing about the basic facts of who, what, when, where, why, and how in an interesting way.