The Art of Creative Nonfiction: Writing and Selling the Literature of Reality

by Lee Gutkind

Book Overview

A complete guide to the art and craft of creative nonfiction-from one of its pioneer practitioners
The challenge of creative nonfiction is to write the truth in a style that is as accurate and informative as reportage, yet as personal, provocative, and dramatic as fiction. In this one-of-a-kind guide, award-winning author, essayist, teacher, and editor Lee Gutkind gives you concise, pointed advice on every aspect of writing and selling your...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471113565
• ISBN13: 9780471113560
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Trade Paper Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

GREAT book

I am using this book for a class on literary journalism. To be frank, there aren't a lot of choices out there for this class--there's a lot of the other kind of 'creative nonfiction' stuff--memoir, personal writing, etc. I like that stuff too, but I'm trying to draw the Journalistic Line, here. This book is one of the few choices there are for my purposes, but I can see why--who could write a book much better than this? This is the Gold Standard as far as I'm concerned. The book has a teeny-tiny reader in it (unlike most CNF books which are about 50 pages of 'craft' and 200 of 'reader') which leaves plenty of room for one to explore one's own taste. Don't have taste yet? Gutkind gives a (slightly dated but not much) list in the book of great places to start. If you grab this book and any of the good anthologies of creative nonfiction or literary journalism (I use _Art of Fact_) you'll soon figure out what you like or dislike. His reader is useful because he refers to it throughout the text part, and it gives a chance to see the stuff in action. He covers everything from how to choose a topic, ethics of the genre, the position of the self (echoing my opinion that in LJ, it's not about *you*!) and form. It's amazing that a book that covers so much could be so cheap! I've seen $90 doorstop-texts with less content. And though it has no exercises in the book, per se, it's easy enough to use it as a follow along guide that will be a companion through many years of writing. If you're just interested in the genre, or need the scoop from the Disciple of Creative Nonfiction (he edits a journal of the same name, as well as a new, yearly anthology), and words from a man who practices what he preaches, this is a wonderful book.

Confidence Building Tool for every aspiring writer

Initially I was afraid to invest hard cash on this book because I want my nonfiction to be totally factual. However, my fears were unfounded. This book was well worth the investment and I recommend it to all aspiring writers of nonfiction. The book is a tremendous eye-opener. It blows the myth that nonfiction writing has to be dull. Dull does not sell. If you are writing nonfiction, you need to read this book. For one thing, the author teaches that the words "creative" and "fiction" are not synonymous. You CAN write creative nonfiction.

Essential Reading for All Nonfiction Writers

How often has a piece of nonfiction writing left you bored to tears with its rambling of fact after fact, a completely limp, motionless piece? Well, Gutkind has developed a structured teaching method for this genre: frame, focus and scene. Once you understand his "yellow test," your writing will vastly improve, bursting with energy and radiating the essence of life, that is, the truth with a capital "T." He lifts your head, redirecting you from gazing into your own belly button, and unveils the techniques of capturing and presenting universal themes--a focus that touches us all. This book not only shows you how to write, more importantly, it show you how to think. Buy it today--he's the godfather of the genre, creative nonfiction, and the editor and founder of the only journal devoted exclusively to the genre.

behind the scenes of a writing life

What I really liked about this book was how the author takes you inside the daily life of a writer, and shows the working process, whether it's behind the keyboard or travel. He allows the reader to learn the pros and cons of the publishing world and the writing life, and gives nuts and bolts advice on how to thrive as a writer.

If your passion is to create & sell nonfiction, read this.

Gutkind's advice covers aspects of writing others neglect. He tells how to access your strengths, lists grant funding sources, and provides detailed illustrations of how to organize for a productive career. Learn vital tips for keeping current with your market, for assessing your competition, for deciding what voice your article or book requires, as well as, how truth figures into nonfiction writing. Gutkind includes a sample book proposal to guide your efforts, discusses pros and cons of getting a M.F.A. degree, and nuts and bolts like interviewing, researching, specializing, and focusing your writing. This book is less about selling and more about writing something that will sell