Definition Of Creative Non-Fiction- An Assignment

I had never before heard of Creative Non-fiction before this spring 2008 semester. If you had asked me last year, I would have guessed. And yet, as this semester comes to a close, and I have spent what is almost 16 weeks with Professor Farley, I have a much better understanding of what was unknown to me, and truly, a deeper respect and love for the genre. I now have a definition that I could inform and educate others with- a definition that has changed me as a writer forever.

To define creative non-fiction as best I could, it would be a genre that acknowledges life as a whole- a reality that has been transformed into a beautiful, well written piece; making a piece of reality an enticing work. And yet, these words that describe it so perfectly cannot suffice for the true definition that I understand as a person and writer. The definition does not come from a book, or from any resource; it comes from me and my growing as a writer. The time and place where I truly began to experience and learn about the genre (more importantly, appreciating it) was with my blog. My blog, although personal, is written with a certain flair and touch that it becomes a work of art- my thoughts that bounce around all day have become my creative expression of my daily routine- my crazy antics that are truly non-fictional, and yet, are written completely creatively.

The two books we have read in class, “All Around the Town” and “The Curve of Binding Energy”, although they are more historical, are great examples of the genre. They are written in an aesthetically pleasing vernacular- enticing in the way that one wants to read them, and yet- they are completely and truly non-fictional. It helps one to understand that this genre is one of the easiest to write under, as it is completely open ended. It has the beauty of being able to be completely over exaggerated, melancholy, or even nostalgic- any emotion known to man- and be true and real at the same time. It is the almost perfect genre for college students, much like myself, to learn to appreciate as well as write under, as learning to write in such a way that hooks and entices readers as well as educates them, while getting a writer’s point across is vital to any one subject; creative non-fiction is not limited to one topic. While creative writing connects to the writer, and many oftentimes, the reader, it does not have the same level of intensity as its counterpart, non-fiction. Non-fiction carries a part of the writer itself, and is oftentimes the more preferred of the two as it is easier to lets one’s inner experiences and soul out into a piece as such; The open ended-ness and ability to be extremely frank with readers is almost like a drug that entice writers and readers alike to this specific genre.

Creative non-fiction is the one genre I had never known about, at yet, it is the only one that has changed my writing style and capabilities, not only for the better, but for good. As a writer and lover of the arts, I could never look back; I have found my niche in the lack of boundaries that I have discovered- a style that allows me to be random, be creative, to be me.