This introduction to creative nonfiction examines the building blocks of nonfiction prose one by one, delineating how and why these techniques work, then illustrating each technique with clear examples.
The Truth of the Matter begins with an overview of creative nonfiction, illustrating how individual voice and narrative strategies distinguish this literary form from conventional nonfiction. The text then presents the basic building blocks of creative nonfiction in a clear sequence, easily grasped by beginning writers. Individual chapters are devoted to detail and description, characterization and scene, distinctive voice, intimate point-of-view, and the various ways in which writers discover the significance or universality of their work.
This introduction to creative nonfiction examines the building blocks of nonfiction prose one by one, illustrating how individual voice and narrative strategies delineate this literary form from conventional nonfiction. Individual chapters are devoted to detail and description, characterization and scene, distinctive voice, intimate point-of-view, and the various ways in which writers discover the significance or universality of their work. Essays from contemporary nonfiction writers such as Henry Louis Gates, Norma Elia Cantu, Pico Iyer, Joan Didion, and others are integrated directly into the text to illustrate concepts.
