How to Write Creative Nonfiction
From a class given by John Boe, Spring 2000
Awhile back, I told everyone I'd be working on a list of tips from my class to pass
on to everyone before I posted any of my writings from that class. So here it is:
General Information:
* It's easier to sell nonfiction than fiction.
* Put your best stuff first. You want get people to start reading it. The beginning
and the end are the most important parts of the piece.
* Do some research on your topic, as it thickens out a piece.
Ways to Start:
* Images and dialogue read fast. Starting with a scene is good, as is finishing
with a strong image.
* Freewriting, then cutting.
* Do a character study of a weird person.
* Write your opinions.
* You can do a hodge-podge of things that sort of go together, or are disorganized and
don't have connections.
Terminology and Tips to Use:
* Accumulation- arranging a series of scenes or episodes so that they enrich or add or alter
meaning with each addition, perhaps reinterpreting earlier segments in later ones.
* Collage writing- putting various crots together into a piece, using techniques such as accumulation, juxtaposition, and
parallelism to order them into a cohesive piece.
* Copia- lists. Lists of things are a good genre to write, as people find them interesting.
* Crot- A unit in a collage, a bit or fragment.
* Focused collage- sets of things mixed together, and cutting back and forth to each like a movie.
* Journaling- writing in episodes or reconstructing a journal experience.
* Juxtaposition- arranging two items alongside each other so they comment back and forth on one another.
* Parallelism- alternating or intertwining one continuous strand with another.
Putting It All Together:
1. Gather as much information as you can on the subject.
2. Pick the best bits, both long and short sections.
3. Cut things in revision.
4. Put the bits in order- logical, intuitive, associative. Add other people's writing into yours.
