Creative Nonfiction

Creative nonfiction is a form of writing that I learned about in college. Although it is pretty common at this point, most people don't know what it is by name. Basically, creative nonfiction is true things told in an interesting way. Generally, when we think of nonfiction, we think of biographies or text books, which are factual, but dull. Creative nonfiction is more like telling a cool story that actually happened.

When people ask how to write creative nonfiction, I tell them that you should really write it the same way you write fictional work. Good story telling is good story telling, regardless of how true the story is. And that inevitably leads to the question, "so what's the difference between the two?" More importantly, "how do you know if a story is fictional or not?"

Honestly, you can't. The only way to know is if the author happens to tell you. And even then, they could easily lie to you. But that's not the point. Whether a story is true or not, the most important question to me is if it's a good read.

I think creative nonfiction is a form of writing that everybody should try out. It is similar, but different from the norm. You work on your storytelling, but don't have to worry about coming up with the story. It also forces you to focus your eye more in general. When you start thinking about real stories that you want to tell, you have to think about things you have done or experienced or know about. You start thinking of things in terms of, could this be a story? How would I explain this situation or feeling in words? It opens up your mind to be a writer more and more often. And if you're a writer, that's always a good thing.