This study will build upon and enhance the student’s basic understanding of the craft of creative nonfiction and how to make use of literary techniques to develop engaging creative essays and writings inspired by real life. Students will refine their own writing craft, learn to provide insightful and constructive critiques of the writing of others, and read significant works of contemporary creative nonfiction. Prerequisite (must complete before registering): Creative Nonfiction: Introductory (CRWR 1015), or equivalent.
Learning Outcomes
Evaluate techniques available to creative nonfiction writers in multiple drafts of their own writing.
Create new works through a process of self-reflection, critical evaluation of feedback, and extensive revision.
Formulate an evolved sense of style, voice, theme, and proficiency with the techniques of creative nonfiction including dramatization, dialogue, and description.
General Writing Resources
Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
Memoir Focus
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text for Writing and Life by Marian Roach Smith
Creative Nonfiction
You Can't Make This Stuff Up by Lee Gutkind
Crafting TRUTH: Short Studies in Creative Nonfiction by Bruce Ballenger
Diana Gabaldon's Writer's Corner blog/website
Be sure to take a look at The LitForum referenced on this page. It is a great resource for writers. It is free, but you do need to create an account.
Writing prompts (and contests) - I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE nycmidnight.com. I have entered a few of the microfiction challenges in the last year, and made it through a few rounds, but I love the most are the writing prompts. You can look at them and try them on your own to just get to writing. You can go to the challenges and see what the different prompts have been.
1st 2 Weeks - Review and research guides and resources about creative nonfiction and prepare questions, ideas, and interests.
Gutkind, Lee. “What Is Creative Nonfiction?” What Is Creative Nonfiction? | Creative Nonfiction, 2012, www.creativenonfiction.org/online-reading/what-creative-nonfiction.
Here is one more video about the scope and brief history of creative nonfiction. It provides a good overview of not only of the fundamentals of research and facts of creative nonfiction, but also some of the sub-genres, forms and tools used in creative nonfiction. The narrator also poses some provocative questions about creative nonfiction.
Questions or want to add something to the resources, please email Lisa at lisa.dadamo-weinstein@esc.edu