Non Fiction Tips

Cultural Notes, first. I've put them off too long.

This morning, after our brief response writing time, we will listen to the following essays: "The Youth in Asia" and "The Learning Curve." After listening and considering the essays, their style, and how Sedaris manages to entertain us with the truth...we will spend a moment or two with some advice about non-fiction.

EQ: How do I make my narrative or creative essays creative? How can I improve my expository writing skills and demonstrate my understanding of the non-fiction form?

Some general advice about your creative essays.

• Creative non-fiction should be interesting. It is often called expository writing in that it exposes an idea or position about its subject matter. This requires subjectivity on the part of the author. In other words it should reveal the author's attitude toward its subject. It exposes an aspect of our culture, history, background, or the author's personality that reminds us about our humanity. 
• It should be written with as much exactness and literary skill as fiction. When you tell a narrative story (even if it's true) the details and careful attention to characterization, setting, and plot are essential. Don't forget to use the writing skills you use when writing fiction and poetry. It's all the same.
• A big difference between fiction and non-fiction is that creative non-fiction is by nature reflective. By the end of the essay or article the author reflects on the subject and tries to answer how the subject makes us who we are, adds to our culture, makes us think about something we do or say or how we behave, or in other terms, the essay tries to answer what makes us human. Without this reflection, a non-fiction piece becomes ineffective or rambling. It's not a tweet. It's all about meaning.
• Research. Yep. You are likely to be writing about things you know nothing about (or little about). If you are writing about something, search the internet for anecdotes or facts, statistics, truths, quotes, etc. Anything to support your position! If you don't know something, you need to look it up. Don't be a lazy writer!
• Avoid uncertainties and being wishy-washy. If you don't remember the detail clearly, make it up. Don't use words or phrases that reduce your ethos: "I can't remember", "maybe it was like this", "stuff and things", and "we did something, then something else with someone or other"...be certain! Be detailed! Be specific!
• Show rather than tell. Imagery. Detail. Use it.
• This is not an academic essay. You don't need a conclusion that sums up what you've just written about. You DO need to reflect on meaning. See above.

Now it's off to the lab to write. Pre-write and get an idea for your very own expository (non-fiction) essay. 

HOMEWORK: Please read the rest of the essays in "Me Talk Pretty One Day", part one (pages 3-149). Bring your books back with you Tuesday to begin a clash of cultures as we visit France with David Sedaris in Part Deux. Feel free to write any creative response this weekend for your portfolio. Yes, you can! Just like Obama.