Creative Nonfiction

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

There is a land often forgotten when children learn geography in school. They learn about the Land of Fiction, where knights, dragons, monsters, heroes, and fairy godmothers live. Then there's the Land of Nonfiction, where real-life facts, science textbooks, and newspaper articles live.

 

What they don't often learn about is the Land of Creative Nonfiction, a wonderful place between Fiction and Nonfiction that combines a little of each and is the best of both worlds.

In between fiction and nonfiction lies literary, or creative, nonfiction.

Literary nonfiction borrows elements from fiction to make facts come alive with storytelling, description, imagery, figurative language, and dialogue.

In this writing genre, the writing quality is considered as important as the content. The writer's purpose is to share information and entertain and tell a story.

Literary nonfiction writers choose their words and tone carefully, trying to capture your interest as a reader.

Creative nonfiction writing includes the following.

Watch the following video to learn more.

As you examine some examples of this genre, notice the creative elements in each.

Biography

A biography is the story of a person's life written by someone else. It's usually written chronologically (in order of the events in the person's life).

Below is an excerpt from The Life of Gen. Thos. J. Jackson, "Stonewall," For the Young by Mary L. Williamson. The author starts by describing Jackson's home and parents.

Autobiography

An autobiography is the story of someone's life written by that person.

The excerpt below is from The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin edited by Charles Eliot.

Personal Journal or Diary

Personal journals and diaries are a person's thoughts and reflections on their life, thoughts, experiences, problems, hopes, and dreams. They are usually not meant for another person to read.

Anne Frank's diary, though not meant for others to read, was published after she died in a Nazi concentration camp and became a very famous book.

Below is an excerpt from The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition by Anne Frank.

Essays

An essay is a short piece of writing focusing on one subject. It usually makes an argument of some kind.

The famous writer, Ernest Hemingway, wrote a humorous essay about camping that explains why some people give up on camping after their first try.

Below is an excerpt from Camping Out, by Ernest Hemingway.

Speeches

A speech, of course, is written to be spoken. It's usually meant to persuade people.

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy gave a speech at Rice University declaring that the United States would go to the moon.

Below is an excerpt from the Address At Rice University on the Nation's Space Effort.

Journalism

Journalism is writing related to the news or whatever is going on in the world at the time.

Below is an excerpt from Fall of Berlin Wall: How 1989 reshaped the modern world.

Now that you've learned what creative nonfiction is, head over to the Got It? section to test your knowledge!