Exploring Genres: Nonfiction

In this cross-post between Australasian Christian Writers and Christian Writers Downunder, I’ve been tasked with writing about the different types of nonfiction. This genre covers a lot of ground, from biographies of famous people to new ways with tofu, from annual reports and training manuals to news articles and blogs. First, let’s get some definitions under our collective belts.

What is Nonfiction?

In the broadest sense, nonfiction is anything based on factual information. This differs from fiction built around true events or characters. Tracy Chevalier imagined a backstory for the girl in Vermeer’s iconic painting Girl with a Pearl Earring. We understand that she took some literary licence in doing that, but it doesn’t matter. We’re happy to get swept up in the story. In contrast, readers expect that nonfiction is true, or at least a well-argued and reasoned version of the truth.

Reportage vs Creative Nonfiction

I also want to make a distinction between straight reportage and creative nonfiction. In reportage, you present the information as objectively as possible. For example, journalists report the news using the 'who, what, when, where, why and how' questions.

An intoxicated Lithuanian clown was injured this morning when his skateboard collided with a penguin on the Gold Coast Highway. The penguin remains in a fishy condition at Sea World.

Other types of nonfiction that might come under the reportage umbrella include dissertations, scientific papers, and annual reports. These documents can include opinion, interpretation and analysis, as long as such commentary is logical and consistent with the available evidence.

In creative nonfiction, you still deal with facts, but you use literary devices to convey them in an engaging way (e.g. scenes, dialogue, imagery). For example, a straight news article might report that missiles were fired over Tel Aviv, while a piece of creative nonfiction might show events through the eyes of someone holidaying in Israel at that time. (See Anna Elkins’ travel essay Of Danger and Beauty for an example).

If you would like to find out more about writing creative nonfiction, I highly recommend Lee Gutkind’s book You Can’t Make this Stuff Up: The Complete Guide to Writing Creative Nonfiction from Memoir to Literary Journalism and Everything in Between. If you would like a quicker introduction, I have a four-part series on creative nonfiction on my website. Just go to my writing tips blog and see Posts 33 to 36.

In the remainder of this post, I’ll highlight some of the main types of creative nonfiction.

Biographies, Autobiographies and Memoirs

Biographies, autobiographies and memoirs all tell about the life of someone, but they differ in terms of the author and focus.

A biography is written by someone other than the subject. For example, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxis.

In contrast, autobiographies and memoirs are written by the subject. It’s your story told in first-person. While there is some overlap between the two, memoirs tend to cover a particular theme or a shorter period in the person’s life rather than trying to include the whole saga. Jo-Anne Berthelsen’s memoir Soul Friend tells the story of her special relationship with her spiritual mentor, Joy. Other aspects of Jo-Anne’s life are only mentioned insofar as they relate to that main theme. Memoirs also typically involve more reflection, as authors look back on events and discuss what it means to them now or what they might have done differently.

For some tips on writing life stories, please see Posts 8 to 11 on my blog.

‘How-To’ Books

As the name suggests, these types of books give readers practical instructions for accomplishing certain tasks. Whether it’s upcycling or unicycling, preparing a sermon or peppering a salmon, there’s bound to be a book or article to show what you need to know.

Christine Dillon’s book Telling the Gospel Through Story is a good example. Christine draws on her experiences in cross-cultural mission work to show readers how they can use stories to talk to people about their faith

There are also a myriad of writing craft books that show you how to show, and tell you how to tell. Some favourites of mine are Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell and Story Genius by Lisa Cron. (Click here to see my post on how to use Cron’s techniques to deepen character in fiction).

Self-Help Books

Self-help books are like ‘how-to’ guides for your life. Some of these books help you deal with challenging situations (e.g. abuse, addiction, depression, parenting, singleness), while others help you to lead a more fulfilling life.

A number of Christian living books fall within this category. In her book Beyond Betrayal: How God is Healing Women (and Couples) From Infidelity, Lisa Taylor shares her own story, but also discusses research, strategies and resources to help people who’ve been through similar experiences. Other examples include Bill Hybel’s Simplify: Ten Practices to Declutter Your Soul and Cloud and Townsend’s Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life.

Expository Books

I’m using this term in a very broad sense to refer to books that describe or explain information surrounding a particular topic. It could be a book about brain surgery, global warming, literature, theology, politics, cricket, history, psychology, or the companions of Dr Who. The main aim is to inform the reader about the topic. For example, Mark Worthing combines literature and history in his book Narnia, Middle-Earth and the Kingdom of God: A History of Fantasy Literature and the Christian Tradition.

Most theological books would come under the expository banner (e.g. God’s Priority: World-Mending and Generational Testing by Anne Hamilton). Devotional books or Bible studies could also fall within this category, though the more applied devotionals may fit better in the self-help category.

Poetry and Song

Whoa! What are poetry and song doing in a post about nonfiction? Long before books and television were readily available to the masses, true stories were passed from village to village by poets and balladeers. These methods are of course still used today. In the latest Poetica Christi anthology, Wonderment, I have a poem called Apollo 8 in which I tell the story of the astronauts who read from the book of Genesis in a Christmas Eve broadcast from lunar orbit in 1968. You can hear part of the original broadcast here. Even if you don’t know a lot of poetry, I’m sure you can think of dozens of songs based on true stories (e.g. Hurricane by Bob Dylan, I Was Only 19 by Red Gum and The Outlaw by Larry Norman).

Wrap Up

As I mentioned earlier, there are dozens of sub-genres within nonfiction and I’ve only scratched the surface. There is also a lot of overlap across categories. For example, Ruth Bonetti combines family memoir with the political undercurrents of the times in her award-winning book Burn my Letters: Tyranny to Refuge.







Even if you mainly write fiction, you could make the odd foray into the nonfiction world. Perhaps you could write a magazine article about the nineteenth century fashions worn by your heroine or the science behind the gene therapy in your young adult thriller. Anthologies also provide opportunities for short nonfiction pieces (e.g. The Gecko Renewal and Other Stories of Life edited by Tabor College lecturers James Cooper and Mark Worthing).

What are your favourite nonfiction books and why? I’d love to hear your examples.

Nola Passmore is a writer and editor who has had more than 150 short pieces published, including fiction, poetry, devotions, magazine articles, academic papers and true stories.  She and her husband Tim own their own freelance writing and editing business called The Write Flourish.  She is currently writing an ever-changing novel and will have the draft finished before Christmas ... really!

Web site:    http://www.thewriteflourish.com.au  

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Research in Creative Nonfiction Part 2 - Nola Passmore

Gathering Information

Last week, I looked at how research can add credibility and depth to your creative nonfiction piece and strike a universal chord that draws readers in.  So how do you gather the right material?

Archival Research

Archival research involves looking through documents to gain information.  These could include shipping lists; birth, death and marriage certificates; newspaper articles; letters; diary extracts; photographs or any other relevant documents.  Some of these will be harder to come by than others and there may be some things you can’t access due to confidentiality (e.g. medical records).  However, you might be surprised at what you can find.  One advantage of the digital age is that a lot of historical documents have been scanned and are now available online.  For those in Australia, the National Archives and the National Library are good places to start.  For those in other countries, a quick Google search should help you locate similar resources.  

It’s also worth noting the difference between a primary and secondary source.  As the name suggests, a primary source includes the original information.  Let’s say you wanted to write a biography about your late grandmother.  A theatre program that lists her as a tap-dancing juggler would be a primary source.  You have direct proof of her former profession.  A secondary source is one step removed (e.g. a book about the history of tap-dancing jugglers that mentions your grandmother).  It’s always good to go back to the primary source so that you can verify the information.  If that’s not possible, use secondary sources that are credible, such as those that back up what they say with evidence.  Many urban myths have been perpetuated by people circulating stories they’ve seen on the internet that have no basis in fact.

Reading documents and looking at photographs can only take you so far.  It’s not as good as being there. That’s where sites like YouTube can help.  Yes, it does have all of those funny cat videos, but you can also access documentaries and news stories on historic and current events.  For example, if you type ‘tap-dancing juggler’ into the search box on YouTube, you’ll be able to access a number of videos that show what your grandmother’s theatre act might have looked like.  Click here for an inspiring example of an actual tap-dancing Grandma (minus the juggling) and note the variety of interesting archival documents her grandson used in making his four-minute film.

Observation

If you can directly observe the phenomenon you want to write about, that’s even better.  This can range from unobtrusive observation (standing on a street corner and watching a busker who can tap-dance and juggle), participant observation (taking part in a tap-dancing juggling workshop) to full immersion (spending a year living with a circus or theatre troupe and experiencing the life of a tap-dancing juggler first-hand). However, there are a couple of things to keep in mind.

• The mere fact that you’re observing people can alter their behaviour.  That busker on the street corner might notice you and trip over his own feet.
• You may need to ask permission to observe certain types of phenomena.  For example, you can’t just go backstage in a theatre and watch performers practising their routines.
• There may be ethical issues involved.  For example, do the people in that tap-dancing juggling workshop know that you’re observing them for a story you’re writing?  This is especially important when dealing with sensitive topics or vulnerable people.  For example, are you befriending people at a homeless shelter because you want to help them or because you think you can sell their story to a magazine?

  

Interviews

Interviews can provide a wealth of information, whether it’s expert opinion about the difficulty of tap-dancing while juggling or the recollections of former dancers at the Theatre Royal.  However, interviewing is an art in itself.

• Take time to establish rapport so that your interviewee is relaxed. 
• If your interviewee is only available for a short period of time, ask the most important questions first.  You can always find out information that’s in the public domain later (e.g. the date that the Theatre Royal was built).
• Unless you’re doing straight fact-checking, ask open questions rather than closed or leading questions.  For example, 'what was it like performing at the Theatre Royal in those days?’ would be an open question, while 'how many people worked at the Theatre Royal?' would be a closed question.
• Try to ask original questions that take the interview in interesting directions.  This is especially important if you’re interviewing a well-known person who’s heard it all before.
• Plan questions ahead of time, but also be prepared to follow unexpected turns.  If an old family friend mentions that Grandma once dated a Romanian Prince who came to one of her performances, you don’t want to miss the chance to find out more.
• Don’t be surprised if people have different recollections of the same event.  In some cases, you can check the facts (e.g. When was that Romanian prince in Australia?).  However, if you’re dealing with emotional truth, different perspectives can add texture and balance to your piece.

So what are you waiting for?  Dig into the archives, observe that phenomenon, and interview those tap-dancing jugglers.  In next week’s conclusion to this series, I’ll give some tips for weaving your research into your manuscript in an engaging way.  In the meantime, what topics would you like to research for a creative nonfiction piece?

Nola Passmore is a freelance writer who has had more than 140 short pieces published, including devotionals, true stories, magazine articles, academic papers, poetry and short fiction.  She loves sharing what God has done in her life and encouraging others to do the same.  She and her husband Tim have their own freelance writing and editing business called The Write Flourish.  You can find her writing tips blog at their website:  http://www.thewriteflourish.com.au  

Research in Creative Nonfiction Part 1 - Nola Passmore

Why Include Research?

You’re about to write the scintillating tale of your charity run around Australia to save the Blue-faced Stripey Tree Worm.  You’ve kept a meticulous diary of your daily travels and have a plethora of anecdotes to enthral your readers.  It’s your journey, your experience, your story.  So why would you include extra research?

Of course, it depends on the type of piece you’re writing.  If you’re penning a news story, academic paper or technical report; readers expect facts and figures.  However, what if you’re writing creative nonfiction?  By that I mean true stories that are told in an engaging way through the use of literary techniques such as action, dialogue, and metaphor. Isn’t the story more important in such writing?  Story certainly is crucial to creative nonfiction, as detailed in my series of posts earlier this year (Post 1, Post 2, Post 3).  However, good research can enhance the tale you want to tell.  Here are some reasons why.

Credibility

Have you ever read an article where something was stated as true, but no evidence was given to back it up?  If you’re like me, this can lead to scepticism.  Why should I give money to save the Blue-faced Stripey Tree Worm just because so-and-so says I should?  Including research from credible sources verifies what you’re saying and carries more weight with readers.  Conversely, if your information is obviously faulty (e.g. stating that the journey around Australia is only 5000 km), readers may question whether you’ve also taken liberties with the rest of the story.

Depth

Dave Hood notes that we can increase our own understanding of a topic by conducting research.  While running around Australia, you may have passed a cemetery on Port Drive in the Western Australian town of Broome.  Without doing research, would you know that it’s the resting place for hundreds of Japanese divers who died while working in the pearling industry?  Maybe you could draw a link between your endangered Blue-faced Stripey Tree Worm and the divers whose lives were put at risk by the working conditions of the time. Understanding more about the people, places and topics you’re writing about can add context and depth to your writing.

Universal Truth

Lee Gutkind notes that you can increase your readership if you ‘strike a universal chord’.  Did you take up the running challenge after a health scare?  If so, giving a few facts about the health condition could put readers in the picture and make them think, ‘Hey this could happen to me.  Maybe I should do something to get fitter and healthier’.  The Blue-faced Stripey Tree Worm might only live in the Daintree Rainforest, thus making it difficult for non-locals to feel for its predicament.  If research shows that each state has dozens of endangered species, it might help readers see that they can help the wildlife of their region.  By looking for the universal truth, you’re going beyond one person’s story and showing how everyone has a stake.

Over the next two weeks, I’ll look at how to gather research material for a non-fiction story and how to embed it in your narrative so that it captivates, rather than bores, your readers.

In the meantime, can you think of articles or books that have included research in an interesting way?  I’d love to hear your examples.

Sources

Gutkind, L.  (2012).  You can’t make this stuff up: The complete guide to writing creative nonfiction from memoir to literary journalism and everything in between.  Boston, MA: Da Capo Press.

Hood, D.  (2012).  Creative nonfiction: Doing research to increase understanding. Retrieved from  https://davehood59.wordpress.com/2012/08/23/creative-nonfiction-doing-research-to-increase-understanding/

Nola Passmore is a freelance writer who has had more than 140 short pieces published, including devotionals, true stories, magazine articles, academic papers, poetry and short fiction.  She loves sharing what God has done in her life and encouraging others to do the same.  She and her husband Tim have their own freelance writing and editing business called The Write Flourish.  You can find her weekly writing tips blog at their website:  http://www.thewriteflourish.com.au  

Creative Nonfiction Part 3 - Nola Passmore

Keeping it Vivid

Last week, I looked at how scenes and dialogue can be used to create story in nonfiction.  Vivid imagery can help readers experience the world of your story and give them a reason for staying.  Here are some tips for doing that.

The Five Senses

Writers typically highlight sights and sounds when describing a setting, but it’s easy to forget smell, touch and taste. It would be overkill to work all five of the senses into every scene, but see if you can drop in one or two where relevant. 

Describing the place where her friend's mother was dying, Lynette D’Amico writes that “death is invisible in the room that smells fur-lined, like a mouse cave.  So many candles are burning, the daughters pant and glow.”  That brief account gives a sense of what it was actually like to be in the room.  

Remember that you don’t have to be serious.  In Sleepless in Southern Africa, Dave Fox recounts how it was the birds rather than the lions that woke him up: 

“Some warble.  Some squawk.  Some chatter.  Some cluck.  One species sounds like a frog.  Another sounds like that guy behind you in the supermarket line who you want to strangle because he will not stop whistling the same six notes, over and over.”

Metaphors and Similes

As in fiction, metaphors and similes are used to heighten the image and create a particular mood.  In his bestselling biography of Ned Kelly, Peter FitzSimons describes the slab hut in which Ned was born as “a shack that looks rather less half-built than already half-destroyed … a habitation in name only, and rather more a rough shelter … a wooden cave (p. 4).”  That says so much more than simply stating they were poor.

In his personal essay Sin, Max Garland recounts a time when he set fire to his grandfather’s field and lied about it.  He starts with ten or so comparisons of what sin is like and what it’s not like, and concludes that “it was more like the feeling of barometric pressure on the rise—how the air got crowded when a storm was coming.”  By the time we get to that point, we can feel the pressure rising.

Intimate Details

Lee Gutkind argues that your nonfiction prose will be more memorable if you can add intimate details: “ideas and images readers can’t easily visualize on their own—ideas and images that symbolize a memorable truth about the characters or situations you’re writing about” (p. 127).  In her travel essay Of Danger and Beauty, Anna Elkins includes a scene where she and her friend Tsach are walking through a garden in Israel:

“… Tsach—shirtless and barefoot—looked right at home.  He picked up a rope-thin piece of discarded cactus from a compost pile, ‘I can plant this in Mom’s garden.’”

The detail about the cactus might not be crucial to the plot, but it tells us something of Tsach’s character that provides extra depth to the narrative.  

Pay Attention

In order to include the kind of description I’ve been talking about, you have to be a keen observer of life.  Jot down that funny line you overheard in the coffee shop, note the unusual way the harpist plucked her strings, sniff the shelves in the antiquarian bookstore.  As Ron Rozelle notes, you have to be “a meticulous harvester of detail” and then find the best ways to incorporate those aspects into your manuscript (p. 18). The little snippets you've filed away may be just what you need to transport your readers into your nonfiction tale and keep them there.

Sources:

D’Amico, L.  (2014).  Faithful.  Brevity, Issue 47.  Retrieved from http://brevitymag.com/nonfiction/faithful/

Elkins, A.  Of Danger and Beauty.  Retrieved from http://travelerstales.com/carpet/002852.shtml

FitzSimons, P.  (2013).  Ned Kelly: The story of Australia’s most notorious legend.  North Sydney: Random House.  See sample at http://www.randomhouse.com.au/books/peter-fitzsimons/ned-kelly-9780857982094.aspx

Fox, D.  Sleepless in Southern Africa.  Retrieved from http://travelerstales.com/carpet/002861.shtml

Garland, M.  (2013)  Sin.  Creative Nonfiction, Issue 48.  Retrieved from https://www.creativenonfiction.org/online-reading/sin

Gutkind, L.  (2012).  You can’t make this stuff up: The complete guide to writing creative nonfiction from memoir to literary journalism and everything in between.  Boston, MA: Da Capo Press.

Rozelle, R.  (2005).  Description and setting: Techniques and exercises for crafting a believable world of people, places, and events.  Cincinnati, OH: Writer's Digest Books.

Nola Passmore is a freelance writer who has had more than 140 short pieces published, including devotionals, true stories, magazine articles, academic papers, poetry and short fiction.  She loves sharing what God has done in her life and encouraging others to do the same.  She and her husband Tim have their own freelance writing and editing business called The Write Flourish.  You can find her weekly writing tips blog at their website:  http://www.thewriteflourish.com.au  

Creative Nonfiction Part 1 - Nola Passmore

If It's Creative and Nonfiction, Does That Mean We Make It Up?

I once went on a mission trip to Mexico as part of Youth With A Mission.  Our first outreach in Guadalajara was organised by a group of Christian women who wanted to share the gospel in their neighbourhood.  We performed some dramas to a crowd of about forty to fifty.  Then one of the local pastors preached a short message and asked people to indicate if they’d like to receive Christ.  The entire group came forward for prayer.  It was an incredibly moving experience and we were full of praise and thanks to God. 

Although everything I’ve just told you is true, it’s not presented in a particularly interesting way.  The version I had published in one of the Aussie Stories books began like this:

‘It was hot and humid; the air so thick we got puffed just walking around.  Our heavy black tracksuit pants didn’t help.  Every movement was an effort.  We were about to do our first street performance in Mexico.’

Do you think that opening is an improvement?  We know how the weather affected the people and that helps us visualise the scene.  But if it’s so hot, why are they wearing heavy black pants?  Oh they’re about to do a street performance.  So are they a drama team?  A flash mob?  Buskers?  What are they doing in Mexico? Hopefully those questions draw the reader in and make him or her want to learn more.

We come across examples of creative nonfiction all the time—magazine and newspaper feature articles, biographies and memoirs, devotional writing—but what are the distinctives of this genre?

Lee Gutkind defines creative nonfiction as ‘true stories well told’.  The ‘creative’ part refers to all of the usual literary techniques that creative writers employ (e.g. show don’t tell, the five senses, vivid imagery, engaging dialogue, action, character development, use of scenes), but the ‘nonfiction’ part tells us that these stories could be verified in much the same way a reporter would fact-check a news story.  It’s not the same as a novel or screenplay ‘based on a true story’, where the reader or viewer knows some poetic licence has been taken.  Creative nonfiction is true, but the stories are told in an engaging way.

Let’s start with an exercise.  Think of an event from your past that has some significance for you and write a ‘no-frills’ version that just covers the facts.  Then revise it using some of the literary tools noted above.  Consider the following tale:

‘My husband and I went on a bus tour of Italy.  Our first stop was Rome and we couldn’t believe how dangerous it was to drive down the streets.  Girls with no protective clothing would ride Vespas in between buses.  One of our tour guides used to stand behind the bus driver and hold on with just one hand.  I was worried she might fall and hurt herself.’

Boring!  How could it be jazzed up, while still getting across the facts?  Think about it first and then click here to find the actual excerpt from a travel story I had published.  One of the things you’ll notice is that I’ve used exaggeration as a humorous device.  Is that okay?  Didn’t I say earlier that creative nonfiction has to be true?  In the next two weeks, I’ll look more specifically at techniques used in creative nonfiction and give guidelines for navigating some of the grey areas.   

In the meantime, I’d be interested in hearing about the best nonfiction pieces you’ve read and what made them so appealing?

Sources:

Gutkind, L.  (2012).  You can’t make this stuff up: The complete guide to writing creative nonfiction from memoir to literary journalism and everything in between.  Boston, MA: Da Capo Press.

 Passmore, N. L.  (2009).  Mexican encounter.  In D. Dixon (Ed.), Aussie stories (pp. 145-148).  Sydney: Strand.

 Passmore, N. L.  (2014).  Vespas, wheelchairs, and the metamorphosis of Alberto.  In J. Cooper, B. Morton, J. Spencer & C. Tuovinen (Eds.), Tales from the upper room: Tabor Adelaide anthology 2014 (pp. 12-19).  Saint Marys, South Australia: Immortalise.

Nola Passmore is a freelance writer who has had more than 140 short pieces published, including devotionals, true stories, magazine articles, academic papers, poetry and short fiction.  She loves sharing what God has done in her life and encouraging others to do the same.  She and her husband Tim have their own freelance writing and editing business called The Write Flourish.  You can find her weekly writing tips blog at their website: http://www.thewriteflourish.com.au