This document provides guidance on techniques for developing creative nonfiction writing. It lists several techniques including listing ideas, cubing (analyzing an idea from six perspectives), using journalistic questions, and the "What? So what? Now what?" framework. It also discusses defining terms, summarizing, using metaphors/similes, and applying ideas to personal experiences. The document stresses choosing a topic and form, and considering purpose and audience when writing creative nonfiction.
2. MECLs
Write a draft of a short piece (Fiction, Poetry, Drama, etc.) using any of
the literary conventions of genre following these pointers:
1. Choosing a topic
2. Formulating a thesis statement
3. Organizing and developing ideas
4. Using any literary conventions of a genre
5. Ensuring that theme and technique are effectively developed
3. Listing- Come up with a list of ideas that you can think about relating
to topics you are considering to explore. Do this quickly and set the list
aside. Go back to the list and do it all over after eliminating or
combining ideas.
Cubing- The technique helps one to look at an idea in six different
points of view or perspectives: describing; comparing with another;
associating with related issues/ ideas; analyzing good and bad;
applying to real-life context and arguing for or against it.
Journalistic Questions- Think of your topic according to the 5 W’s 1 H
questions: who, what, where, when, why and how.
4. What? So What? Now What?- In exploring your idea, you begin by
writing or describing what it is; what you can do with the idea and
where you want to go next with it or what else should be considered.
Defining Terms- Simply giving a working definition of concepts and
comparing the same with those from the dictionary or other sources.
Summarizing- You can begin with a summary of what you know to establish
essential understanding before going into analysis or synthesis of new
ideas. One can also summarize readings by individual article or by
combining those with the same perspective or position.
Metaphor/ Simile- a comparison may help others to understand your idea
better using metaphors or similes. You may have to explain the use of either.
5. Applying Ideas to a Personal Circumstance or Common Situation -
Applying an idea to common or familiar occurrences helps to analyze it according to
context and experience so that explaining other related circumstance will be much easier.
After deciding what you want to write about, it is crucial to also determine the form you
will be writing it in whether it will be as a created fiction story, an expression of feelings
or describing experience through poetry, recreating through drama or sharing facts,
analyzing history or current events through a nonfiction.
For nonfiction, one should combine facts with literary prose, telling a story in an
engaging way using literary devices, in the same way that writers employ literary
devices in other formats.
Purpose should be a foremost consideration just as audience and the medium
should be. For children, fiction stories and videos might be the most interesting
while writing for those in the academe may need more sophisticated medium such
as print/ newspaper articles. Young adults may prefer blogs, testimonials or
spoken poetry.