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Narrative or creative non-fiction focuses on one particular incident,
generally about experiences that have changed a person's life in some way. Also
- they are stories or essays written either from the first or third person
perspective;
- they contain elements of emotion and intellect;
- they have a moral of theme (some kind of point);
- they are based on a person's experience, so they are not fictional, but
they can contain fiction elements;
- they are chronologically ordered.
Here are some specifics to work with when either writing or critiquing a
narrative, non-fiction essay:
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- A non-fiction essay has an interesting title which sets the tone. "Audience"
would not be a suitable title as it reveals little of what will follow. On the other hand,
"Troubled Teen Girls Locked in Roles Proscribed by Fathers" or "Looking For
Love in All the Wrong Places" would be titles that allude to the thesis of a paper.
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- A thesis is the next point of a successful essay.
It contains the moral or theme that the writer is trying to explore
and it is expressed in a fact and your opinion about that fact. The
thesis is very specific, even more than the title. Thus, for an non-fiction
piece about troubled teen
girls, we could use this thesis:
- "Fathers who make their daughters conform to old rules and traditions are creating
troubled teenagers."
- A thesis that would not work is "Parental rules create troubled teens." This is too general and really leans heavily toward fact; also to develop this idea
would take three or four books (if not more) not three or four pages.
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- An introduction to contain the thesis
is also needed. See Introduction help here or in a handbook if you are
unclear about introductions. The intro really needs to pull the
reader in; thus, it should contain some type of hook.
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- Once the thesis is established, development and support are
needed. Five or six sub-ideas (sub-points) to convince your audience
of your point-of-view need specific development.
- Language use fits the purpose. Diction and register are
paramount.
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- Some people believe that creative non-fiction
- stories or essays written
either from the first or third person perspective;
- they contain elements of
emotion and intellect;
- they have a moral of theme
(some kind of point);
- they are based on a
person's experience, so they are not fictional;
- they are chronologically
ordered
Look toward language use. Is the diction appropriate to the audience? Is it too formal?
Too informal?
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- Are the examples used ones that will be of interest to the audience? Will they care?
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- A successful essay ends well. Read the conclusion handout if
you are unsure about how to end your essay.
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- Another important aspect of an essay is the way you use
transitions. Consider transitions as cues for your audience. They signal the reader
that you are either changing direction, adding information, emphasizing or linking ideas.
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Click here to read, M. Holmes, An Unattended Death.
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