Writing True: The Art and Craft of Creative Nonfiction

This innovative book teaches students how to write informative and engaging nonfiction that emphasizes voice and creativity and incorporates observation, research, memory, and point of view. Writing True serves as a valuable core textbook or a supplement for any creative writing or composition course with an emphasis on creative nonfiction. A solid pedagogical approach shows students how to be true to capturing the real world with integrity and creativity. The first part of the book, Writing Creative Nonfiction, offers ten chapters of practical guidance, skill-building exercises, and ideas to help writers develop their creativity. The second part of the book, Reading Creative Nonfiction, contains an anthology divided into Memoir, Personal Essay, Portrait, Essay of Place, and Literary Journalism. Selections include works by Nora Ephron, Tracy Kidder, Eric Liu, David Sedaris, and other well-known masters of the creative nonfiction genre. The anthology also includes a section entitled Stories of Craft, with four prominent writers, including John Irving and Sue Miller, describing the challenges and rewards of writing creative nonfiction.