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Writing Project #2: Creative Nonfiction
Creative nonfiction is a relatively broad category of writing. This genre includes many sub-genres like memoir, longform journalism, and the personal essay, among others. But regardless of their differences in form or content, these sub-genres all adhere to the basic defining characteristics of the genre: in creative nonfiction, writers use creative and artistic literary techniques to tell a story based on true events or facts. Creative nonfiction is, essentially, the craft of telling a true story in a creative way.
There are certain pitfalls, of course, when we start trying to write about true events in a “creative” way. How accurate/honest/truthful is our description of the event? How accurate is our memory even to begin with? Do we owe it to the other people involved in the event/story to give them a chance to tell their side? How far can we go to be creative without compromising our commitment to what really happened? These are complicated questions without easy answers that every writer of creative nonfiction has to consider.
Your task for this project is to write a short creative nonfiction piece on a topic of your choosing. This “topic” can be an event from your life, an anecdote, an idea, or an emotion. It can range from something macro and large-scale, like your worries about global warming or your thoughts on growing up, or it can be something really small and specific, like a two-minute interaction you once had with a friend.
Though you have free reign to write about whatever topic/event/idea you find most compelling, there are a few things worth keeping in mind as you navigate this project:
First, you are fairly limited on space so you probably won’t be able to do justice to a story that requires many pages. (Consider, for example, the difference in scope between The Glass Castle and “My Family’s Slave.”)
Second, keep in mind that you will be sharing your work at various points in the course with your group members and occasionally with the rest of the class; only write about topics that you feel comfortable sharing with the broader audience of your classmates.
And finally, try to keep the reader and their interests in mind. What do you think your reader is most interested in hearing about? Does your story connect to larger, more global issues? How can you tell the story in an interesting and creative way that holds the reader’s attention?
One final thing to consider: This is a very personal genre, but think back to Wallace Stegner’s advice on avoiding “self-indulgence” in our writing, and not treating the craft of writing as simple self-expression. How can you make your piece feel critical/important? How can you make it feel like a story that needs to be heard?
Creative Nonfiction
Length: 2000 words
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Creative Writing; ‘What a Wonderful World’ by Louis Armstrong
After a long day, I walked into Forte Coffee Shop, downtown New York for refreshment. The unseen speakers at Forte Coffee Shop played one of my favorite songs What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong, where the artist’s voice drifted through the walls. I leaned back in my chair and silently started to sing along. Louis possesses a positive approach that highlights his innate desires and intentions, making the tune likeable. Armstrong’s song stirred powerful emotions and transported me back in time, reminding me of specific moments during elementary school.
At the coffee bar, I ordered for a cup of cappuccino, pulled a chair, took off my coat, and draped over it. Throughout the day, I had attended a series of meetings, and I felt I needed a break to unwind. I trust that having coffee away from a workplace is one of the most significant pleasures since, at Forte, I got to experience strangeness of the bar layout. The coffee shop is one of my preferred spots due to its convenient location, making it a special place to hang out after a tiresome day at work.
Accessibility and personnel of the shop are not the only highlights, but also the staff at Forte ensures that patrons feel welcomed through providing satisfactory customer service. Besides, interior decorations entail different types of arts covering the walls, enhancing aesthetic value of the coffee bar. One of my favorite things about Forte is that interior décor is sourced locally, promoting artists from within the city. The fountain in the middle of the lounge with live fishes in it is among the bar's fantastic things. Consequently, this setting assured me of a fulfilling afternoon.
Listening to Armstrong’s song created a perfect mood since it brought back particular memories, especially my time growing up. Hearing just one refrain from it, 'I see trees of green, red roses too' and my time during elementary school immediately came to mind. I am sure that if I tried to remember particular things from those days, without the song, I would recall nothing as emotional. Therefore, I trust that the relationship between music and recollection is influential since, on this day, I recalled how the school played Louis's song at the end of every week.
Listening to Louis's voice reminded me of the particular moments of the past like I had stepped in a time machine. For example, at the end of every school week, Armstrong sang, What a Wonderful World from all the speakers, making it a routine. I remember a conversation I had with the waiter as she was serving me, and after she noticed, I was genuinely enjoying the song.
Waiter: (smiling broadly) Hey, I can see you like that song.
