Creative Nonfiction
| Creative- resulting from originality of thought, expression, etc.; imaginative: creative writing.
Nonfiction- the branch of literature comprising works of narrative prose dealing with or offering opinions or conjectures upon facts and reality, including biography, history, and the essay Doesn’t it seem weird to put those two words together? What constitutes as “creative nonfiction”? Is this creative nonfiction? Is reality television creative nonfiction? What about the scripted but not show on MTV “The Hills”? Who first thought of this? Who really thinks at any point in their life while they’re thinking “Hey, I should write this down and people should read it!”? Is anyone that interesting? If you incorporate literary elements into your autobiography, is that really nonfiction? Who is to say that those elements are even there? You could be making them up, which sort of negates the “nonfiction” part of that. That’s just been something I’ve been thinking about. I think I have a problem with people who make their living capitalizing on their own lives, but I don’t really know. I think there are some human experiences that just need to stay human, and writing them out won’t really do them justice. I also think that there are some experiences in fiction that will probably never happen in real life. I don’t think the definition of “creative” is concrete enough to attach it to much. Other people: It’s something you make up. Okay, well, people made up the Big Bang Theory. Does that constitute as “creative”? I don’t know. I just think that there is a place for “creative nonfiction” and that’s in the fiction section. The details of made-up people’s lives are just as nonfiction as what you make up about your life. Maybe I’m just unqualified to talk about this. Maybe I have little faith in people to stay honest. That’s all. Have a nice day everyone. -Laura PS- For those interested here’s a recap of my life so far/other things I thought about writing about/other things that I might write about in the future. 1) My half-birthday is coming up. Soon I’ll be fifteen-and-a-half. For some reason I feel less old than when I did when I was turning fifteen. Meh. 2) Loneliness. 3) I have a super-special part in the marching band show! This is so exciting! (So our show is about a machine, so there’s a huge switch that has to come on the field during the second movement and I get help maneuver it on! Isn’ t that awesome?!) 4) I’m going to make my homecoming dress this year! Woo! 5) There is no five. |
3)Congratulations!
4)That is awesome. Extremely so.
You could make a case that Shakespeare’s histories are “creative non-fiction.” I’m thinking of Antony and Cleopatra as that’s the only one I’ve read. I believe his source for the story was Plutarch. So he got the facts from Plutarch but had a lot to flesh out himself.
As for people’s memoirs…Well, what is truth anyway?
Laura,
Creative nonfiction does not necessarily have to mix facts with invented material. By the definition you cited, nonfiction can be creative if the expression is original. That’s why there can be hundreds of creative nonfiction books about, for example, the battle of Gettysburg.
Nonfiction is a literary genre in which the writer presents information that the writer believes to be true and which he/she presents as true. The writer can be mistaken — the information can be untrue — but that doesn’t change the literary label.
Let me tell you a story that I think illustrates the distinction between nonfiction and truth.
A friend of mine wanted to give a gift to a co-worker who was leaving the firm. She chose a miniature cup and saucer. She wrote a note to the co-worker explaining that the gift was from her childhood playthings and had sentimental value to her.
The going away party was held, the gift given.
That night in the middle of the night, my friend woke up. In her sleep, she remembered that the cup and saucer she had given away was not from her childhood play things. It was a set she had bought at a yard sale.
In literary terms, my friend’s note about the gift was nonfiction. At the time she wrote it, she believed the cup and saucer to have been part of her childhood toys. When she found out her error, that changed the truth of her assertion, but not the literary designation.
I discuss the nonfiction “truthiness” issue at http://www.you-can-teach-writing.com/definition-of-nonfiction.html
Linda