Creative Nonfiction: The Balance of Imagination and Facts

Creative Nonfiction is a genre of writing that uses literary techniques in order to tell a true story. It includes biography, literary journalism, personal narrative, reflective essay, travelogue, blog, testimonial, and more.

It can be considered as the balance of imagination and facts because when we are writing creative nonfiction, we try to remember a true event in our life and use our imagination to recall those memories. We use our imagination to put them into words and immerse our readers in our life. We can also back it up with real photos and testimony of other people to make it believable.

However, it is easier to explain than to apply. I see this to myself. Sometimes I forgot to describe a scenario, leaving the readers imagining the event in a blank space; sometimes I add too much information that it strips the "creative" in nonfiction.

Do we have to make up a story just to make our text interesting? Do we have to exaggerate our life events for additional impact?

The answer is no. We do not have to fill the gaps in our memory just to complete our life stories. We are humans, forgetting details and dialogues from the past is normal. Unless you are video recording every second of your life. Replacing unremembered scenarios in our life is just an imagination without facts. Therefore, not creative nonfiction.

Here are the tips on how to keep the balance of imagination and facts when writing creative nonfiction:

Draft

Outlining your work can help you know the flow of your text. You can list your goals like following a certain theme, choosing a specific pov, and identifying the conflict. Feel free to make your own way of drafting because from what I know, there are three types of people when writing:

• The Planner
• These are the people who finish their outline before writing the final paper. It takes a lot of time but it can really make your text very cohesive.
• The Spontaneous
• These are the people who write along the way. I belong to this category most of the time so I can give some advice here. Write the event first, that is your draft and the fact. Then add details as you read; use your imagination as you write figures of speech, imagery, or dialogue. Read again to make sure they are coherent because inconsistency is the common problem in writing continuously.
• The Hybrid
• These are the people who write spontaneously then get stuck so they started outlining (it can be vice versa). They got the best and the worst of both worlds.

No matter how you write, it is important to make progress. Only stop writing when you feel contented with your work or when you are stuck.

Take a time off

You should rest after writing that paper. It will help you refresh your mind so you can continue writing it. Taking a time off can also help you remember the details of your past so when you look at your text again, you will start to know and edit the details you miss.

Revise

Before publishing your hard work, you have to double-check it. Here is the checklist you can use:

• Grammar and spelling
• You can use Grammarly here, it is free
• No plagiarism detected
• Use free alternatives like Dupli Checker or Plagiarism Detector.net then use Quillbot to help you paraphrase plagiarized sentences
• Everything is coherent
• Read your text out loud to notice irregularities
• Literary devices are present
• Setting
• Atmosphere
• Conflict
• Dialogue
• Imagery
• Characterization
• Symbolism
• Plot is complete
• Exposition
• Rising Action
• Climax
• Falling Action
• Resolution
• Source (if available)
• You can use links at the end of your text or use citations on your text

When you have it all checked, you are now finished with writing your creative nonfiction. It may not be perfect on your first try but you have to keep writing so you can improve. Someday, you will find your style and you will be better at creating factual yet very imaginative text.