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The Art of Creative Nonfiction: Writing and Selling the Literature of Reality
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 work, including:
•Guidelines for choosing provocative—and salable—topics
•Smart research techniques—including advice on conducting penetrating interviews and using electronic research tools
•Tips for focusing and structuring a piece for maximum effectiveness
•Advice on working successfully with editors and literary agents
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 work, including:
•Guidelines for choosing provocative—and salable—topics
•Smart research techniques—including advice on conducting penetrating interviews and using electronic research tools
•Tips for focusing and structuring a piece for maximum effectiveness
•Advice on working successfully with editors and literary agents
211 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
About the author
Lee Gutkind
97 books97 followersLee Gutkind has been recognized by Vanity Fair as “the godfather behind creative nonfiction.” A prolific writer, he has authored and edited over twenty-five books, and is the founder and editor of Creative Nonfiction, the first and largest literary magazine to publish only narrative nonfiction. Gutkind has received grants, honors, and awards from numerous organizations including the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Science Foundation. A man of many talents, Gutkind has been a motorcyclist, medical insider, sports expert, sailor, and college professor. He is currently distinguished writer in residence in the Consortium for Science, Policy, and Outcomes at Arizona State University and a professor in the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
July 14, 2017
Lee Gutkind serves as a father of the art of creative nonfiction, so I had high expectations for his book on the topic. And yet, I found it disappointing. Chock-a-bloc full of typical writing advice you can get in most writing books, Gutkind seems to have little new to add to the usual tips to use specific details, dialogue and write in scene. Throughout the book, he includes long excerpts of his own writing which he cites as a model examples of techniques. His writing is good, yet something sits not quite right with me in a writing instructor using his own writing as a model. With so much good writing out there, wouldn't it be easy to avoid what looks like self-promotion and use someone else's writing as examples of how scenes should be written? Gutkind's use of his own writing as that which to emulate made me discount his advice to some extent. After all, aren't writers the worst judges of their own work? Looking for a great book on the craft of creative nonfiction? Skip this one and pick up "Tell It Slant: Writing and Shaping Creative Nonfiction" by Brenda Miller and Suzanne Paola (2005).
September 19, 2007
This book is great for anyone who would like to learn how to write nonfiction in a way that you don't have to worry about slaving over every single detail to make sure that it it 100% correct. Let's face it, everyone fudges a little when writing nonfiction stories about people's lives becuase sometimes putting a little more action or excitement into the writing makes it much more readable (except maybe Mr. Frey who is a liar liar pants on fire total fabricator). Nonfiction is meant to be truthful to the extent of the author's recollection of events (or extensive reasearch in the case of historical nonfiction). This book will help you explore the best ways to convey your story and show you ways others have written theirs.
April 15, 2013
As an avid reader and a writer of non-fiction, I was drawn into what the author shared. He provides useful information, and captivating examples of creative non-fiction. As a working writer, however, I didn't find a lot of useful information on publishing. Things have changed too much since the book was published. It was still a good read, though, and kept me entertained.
June 25, 2014
This book encompasses the art of writing nonfiction with creating dramatic interest without losing the truth of what is being written. Gutkind demonstrates the craft by dissecting his own methods for writing.
May 22, 2014
Great little book. Super fast read, and enjoyable too. A bit too much self-promotion of the author's own pieces, but Gutkind has some great insights. Very practical tips, too. Not just theory.
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January 21, 2021I saw Mr. Gutkind speaking in person at the 2017 Creative Nonfiction Conference in Pittsburgh, so reading his book I could hear his style, personality, and self-confidence jump off the page. He refers to himself as the Godfather of Creative Nonfiction (CNF), and he certainly doesn’t hesitate to quote himself and his previously published works widely and extensively in order to demonstrate his points.
And there were many helpful points made in the book, most importantly that good CNF must present information to the reader that is universal and not just about the writer themselves. This might seem obvious, but as I’m working on my memoir now, and most of my writing revolves around experiences I have had, I needed the reminder that it must always be connected to the universal human experience.
He also emphasizes that good CNF is based upon narrative, that is the description of scenes. All essays and works can be broken down into scenes, with summations and factual information dispersed throughout.
His three-dimensional approach to CNF is that the writer is a thinker first, secondly a critic, and thirdly a social commentator. He recommends starting locally to find stories worthy of being told. No need to fly off to a war zone (his own failed experience) to get an important topic. He also says that any issue can be interesting if well-written, giving the example of someone having written about baseball so well that a woman who wasn’t interested in sports kept reading. This touched a nerve, as I wrote and read a piece about how I couldn’t relate to baseball during residency.
He describes some pitfalls to avoid: do not quote or literally recreate actual thoughts, “a common over indulgence of creative nonfiction writers”. This made me laugh. I don’t fabricate, but its a thin line between imagination, creativity and fabrication. Compression of quotes and/or events is another pitfall to avoid, if it must be done, then very carefully so as to stay truthful.
Interestingly, he said that a good title is not important, and the same thing for endings. Once your reader is at the end, you’ve already succeeded. The appendix is long, and included his book proposal which needed to be better explained for its significance in taking up so much space to be clear.
And there were many helpful points made in the book, most importantly that good CNF must present information to the reader that is universal and not just about the writer themselves. This might seem obvious, but as I’m working on my memoir now, and most of my writing revolves around experiences I have had, I needed the reminder that it must always be connected to the universal human experience.
He also emphasizes that good CNF is based upon narrative, that is the description of scenes. All essays and works can be broken down into scenes, with summations and factual information dispersed throughout.
His three-dimensional approach to CNF is that the writer is a thinker first, secondly a critic, and thirdly a social commentator. He recommends starting locally to find stories worthy of being told. No need to fly off to a war zone (his own failed experience) to get an important topic. He also says that any issue can be interesting if well-written, giving the example of someone having written about baseball so well that a woman who wasn’t interested in sports kept reading. This touched a nerve, as I wrote and read a piece about how I couldn’t relate to baseball during residency.
He describes some pitfalls to avoid: do not quote or literally recreate actual thoughts, “a common over indulgence of creative nonfiction writers”. This made me laugh. I don’t fabricate, but its a thin line between imagination, creativity and fabrication. Compression of quotes and/or events is another pitfall to avoid, if it must be done, then very carefully so as to stay truthful.
Interestingly, he said that a good title is not important, and the same thing for endings. Once your reader is at the end, you’ve already succeeded. The appendix is long, and included his book proposal which needed to be better explained for its significance in taking up so much space to be clear.
September 23, 2017
I liked this book. I found it in the library last week. I read it over two days. Here are a few of my "takeaways":
Have a passion for the written word, for knowledge discovery, for observation, and for people.
Study other peoples' writing. The foundation for good writing is good reading.
Study writings mechanics and architecture.
Tell your story in scenes. Use dialog and description to move the story forward. Learn to identify scenes in other peoples' writing. See how other writers tie the scenes together.
Have a passion for the written word, for knowledge discovery, for observation, and for people.
Study other peoples' writing. The foundation for good writing is good reading.
Study writings mechanics and architecture.
Tell your story in scenes. Use dialog and description to move the story forward. Learn to identify scenes in other peoples' writing. See how other writers tie the scenes together.
December 22, 2021
This book by Lee Gutkind has been sitting on my book shelf for an extended period of time, and i am glad i left it there. It is very similar to his other books, so as i made my way through it, i found that there was much i had read previously. This was annoying because i had hoped for a fresh material, but it was also refreshing and invigorating from the perspective that i have grown substantially as a person and my understanding of the world has rapidly changed for the better.
Lee is the master of creative nonfiction and always a pleasure to read, but if you have read one of books on how to write in his preferred genre then you have also had an overview and an introduction to his other books in this genre.
Lee is the master of creative nonfiction and always a pleasure to read, but if you have read one of books on how to write in his preferred genre then you have also had an overview and an introduction to his other books in this genre.
January 21, 2021
This was a re-read for me, but enjoyable nevertheless. Gutkind explains the process of writing creative non-fiction using examples of his own writing and that of other prominent creative non-fiction writers.
December 8, 2017
Much of this advice is generic and the book is quite dated now.
June 7, 2016
EDIT: Two years after I first read this book, I read it again, and begin to change my idea of it. (That it significantly altered my "literary vision", as I'd dramatically put forth then, is dubious.) This book is really for beginners in the craft of writing who just want to try their hand at it. Most of the wisdom here can be learned through experiences with the actual act of writing (and experimenting), and in constantly thinking about these experiences. If one is a critical reader, perhaps his/her reflex action towards this book is NOT to automatically imbibe its teaching, and rather soldier on with his/her writing, using Gutkind's words as footnotes perhaps. (There is after all plurality in literary theories.)
This is not to say, however, that the book doesn't have its merits. As I'd mentioned in my earlier review, the book serves as a means to "quell confusion" regarding Creative Nonfiction. It serves, in a way, as a definition or an open door into the craft. And definitions, for frazzled beginners, are always good stepping stones.
Initial review: I like how Part I (the part about creativity and thinking creatively) was written; it changed my literary vision. I found Part II (the part about content) inconclusive on some fronts, though.
If you're an aspiring writer who is confused about how to view creative nonfiction, then this book is the one that can quell your confusions.
This is not to say, however, that the book doesn't have its merits. As I'd mentioned in my earlier review, the book serves as a means to "quell confusion" regarding Creative Nonfiction. It serves, in a way, as a definition or an open door into the craft. And definitions, for frazzled beginners, are always good stepping stones.
Initial review: I like how Part I (the part about creativity and thinking creatively) was written; it changed my literary vision. I found Part II (the part about content) inconclusive on some fronts, though.
If you're an aspiring writer who is confused about how to view creative nonfiction, then this book is the one that can quell your confusions.
June 22, 2016
A rather dated but still useful book providing some useful tips on how to write creative non-fiction from one of the masters (and the editor of the eponymous magazine Creative Non-Fiction). Unfortunately, much has changed since he wrote it with the advent of the internet, perhaps giving longform journalism a possible second wind.
The advice is largely commonsensical (which is not to say it isn't needed) - observe what is around you, read good writing, write about what you care about (but remember it has to be something that other people will want to read), look local but think global but what is especially useful are the examples of long form writing that are provided in the book.
Definitely a helpful place to start, but somewhat intimidating for the non-professional. The idea of immersion is wonderful - how better to know your subject? But it's not realistic for most of us to spend a year immersing ourselves fully in another reality.
The advice is largely commonsensical (which is not to say it isn't needed) - observe what is around you, read good writing, write about what you care about (but remember it has to be something that other people will want to read), look local but think global but what is especially useful are the examples of long form writing that are provided in the book.
Definitely a helpful place to start, but somewhat intimidating for the non-professional. The idea of immersion is wonderful - how better to know your subject? But it's not realistic for most of us to spend a year immersing ourselves fully in another reality.
February 7, 2016
As someone new to the genre I thought this was a fantastic look at the foundations from someone who laid those bricks.
I especially valued the recommended reading list in the back and detailed discussion of scene/integrating scenes and framing your story--understanding these aspects of narrative is crucial because when you're working with the truth, you may have to play with these elements to keep a reader interested.
I especially valued the recommended reading list in the back and detailed discussion of scene/integrating scenes and framing your story--understanding these aspects of narrative is crucial because when you're working with the truth, you may have to play with these elements to keep a reader interested.
December 26, 2010
I started this book this past spring, so it was long overdue that I get it finished! I'll post a more substantive review later, once I've had time to chew on it for a bit. Lee Gutkind is the inventor of the term "creative non-fiction," so of course, I had to read his book. Overall, I liked it and am glad I read it. More later.
October 7, 2011
This book is a good starting place for non-fiction writers. One of the most valuable resources in it is list of some the best in creative non-fiction. It is a shame that as other reviewers here already mentioned--the book is in a desperate need of an update to talk about changes due to the Internet.
September 5, 2012
A pretty good book, though a bit dated, explaining this much misunderstood genre of creative nonfiction, also called the nonfiction novel. Author relies almost exclusively on his own material a bit to the detriment of the book. Still, a worthwhile book.
May 13, 2009
They call this guy, Lee Gutkind the father of the creative nonfiction genre. Sort of a "how-to" book to make sure I'm going the right way with this thing...
April 13, 2008
Good reference book for those planning to write in the creative non-fiction field.
December 19, 2008
Excellent book for anyone interested in writing nonfiction (advertising and pr copywriters included).
Read
August 9, 2011Didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. Plus, it's outdated - pre-web.
January 2, 2016
This is a wonderful writing guide for writers beginning to write creative non-fiction -- one to keep handy as a resource.
Shelved as 'only-read-parts'
November 26, 2018Annoying.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews