Here are the guidelines:
- Reading responses must be AT LEAST 200 words.
- Include your full name at the end of your comments. Unnamed comments will be deleted.
- From the "Comment As" drop-down menu, choose Anonymous, then click "Publish."
- Reading responses are due by midnight on Mondays and Wednesdays, no exceptions.
Even though this reading was extremely long, I really enjoyed it and was able to take a lot of new information from it. There were a lot of small sections that talked about different styles of creative nonfiction and I was grateful for the checklists at the end since there was so much information. The most important point I got out of this reading was that creative nonfiction is about yourself and how you view different things or topics. It's about looking and digging deep inside yourself and being able to write about it. I thought the "5 Rs" was very helpful in understanding how it is your supposed to write creative nonfiction, it gave simple to the point suggestions and simple to the point explanations, making it easier for people like me who haven't really written creative nonfiction before, understand. The sentences that really hit me were on page 205 towards the bottom, " As an essayist, it is your vision of the world that matters. If others disagree with that vision, let them tell their own versions of the truth." It really spoke to me since that is something I personally struggle with and by reading these pages and seeing how it's about your own feelings and thoughts and perceptions really helps and hopefully allows me to truly find freedom in writing what I want to write without having to worry too much about others.
ReplyDeleteRebecca Muniz
Personally, I do like reading nonfiction because it is a way of learning about human emotion, and what some people had to go through in their life. Reading nonfiction is entering onto a part of the author’s life and being able to have a perspective of their experiences. Most nonfiction works I have read in my spare time are from artists and different actresses as an inspiration, and while in high school I had to read about different people in politics. I like reading their experiences because there is always going to be something written that I can connect to and I can always learn something from what I read. The good thing about creative nonfiction is that the writer can explore within a big range of ideas of how to portray the story and give an impact for the readers. Furthermore, I think writing about nonfiction is a way of expressing something we want to share with the world and it could serve as an encouragement or as a lesson for some readers out there. I enjoyed reading this chapter because it explains the characteristics of the nonfiction essays. Most importantly, it provides the “5 R’s” that Gutkind described as the foundation of creative nonfiction, and the key on how to organize each essay and to deal with the different elements of writing. I appreciated each of the concepts and explanations made in the reading because I have not written creative nonfiction before, and this chapter helps as an introduction of what to do and expect when writing about it.
ReplyDeletePaulina Longoria
When it comes to reading, I often prefer to read non-fiction only because it identifies the authors experience and I like knowing about the outcome after, and yes of course I am a sucker for romantic non-fiction books. I enjoyed the reading because it taught me information that I did not know before, for example the styles that connect at the end of non-fictional story. I believe we can learn a lot from non-fiction books because they are real, and we can sometimes relate to situations that authors talk about in their story. Being creative in non-fiction stories allow for people to be able to create their own story but in a way that can attract the audience attention because we as readers look for that spice in a non-fictional reading. I think writing non-fiction help us writers to tell a true story of our past, but in a creative way that can catch readers attention, and as authors, we can express the real emotion we took in about the experience or however we felt at the moment. It is a way for us to motivate readers and so that they can appreciate the outcome of the information given of an author’s life. This reading allowed me to understand the true meaning of non-fiction and how it works to be successful when writing a non-fiction that truly is a way to express your liberty in writing.
ReplyDelete-Karla Romero
I was ready to yawn at the reading assigned for this blogpost when I saw that it consisted of lessons and few short nonfiction essays, however, it was the opposite, I was left wanting for more. I enjoyed the lesson on writing nonfiction essays because it went against a lot of the high school model of paragraph structure. As I read the guidelines and general model of what a nonfiction essay should consist of, I feel excited and eager to start our first assignment. I truly enjoyed reading McClanahan’s autobiographical essay. It truly is a masterpiece. The way McClanahan writes thought after thought without transitional words and such deep personal insights, events of her life, use of words, and her symbolism really like the lessons suggest makes every word count. Her essay was very poetic. The climax as she talks about her abortion really captivated me. Ultimately the end when she writes about the yoga exercises and how “one by one, their single breaths give out” was very symbolic of her abortion, family heart problems and her fear or regret of dying alone because of the choice she made was an epic ending to her essay. Everything mentioned in the assigned reading, about the 5Rs, Montaigne’s and Beacons’ view of creative writing and the comparison of the three essays, made me open my horizons and give me an insight of what a magnificent nonfiction essay should be like.
ReplyDelete-Maria Ramirez Montoya
Previous to this point, I was never well introduced to creative nonfiction. Now that I’ve read a little bit about it I see that it has been in a lot more of the stuff I have read than I previously thought. One of the excerpts that helped my understanding of creative nonfiction was the line “to inform or to entertain”. I feel like they blend that line, and a good creative writer blends it so well that you connect with the author. One of the authors that gets named dropped in the book was Truman Capote, in a famous interview Mr. Capote talks about two of his most famous works of creative nonfiction Breakfast at Tiffany's and In Cold Blood. He goes on to say that both works are one in the same thing: an experiment in literary style. “Instead of shifting one subject to another, we are expanding one’s creative ability.” Mr. Capote goes on to say that he doesn’t like comparing the two, but from his analysis of creative nonfiction he seems to have the definition of the genre down pat. He ends it by saying, that both works are “further honings of literary experiments in prose narratives”. I was wondering throughout the entire interview why he kept evading the title of creative nonfiction but then I recalled the book mentioning how recently the genre seemed to explode. As much as I enjoyed the book’s explanation of creative nonfiction, I enjoyed much more looking at some of the authors and exploring some of the things they have been able to contribute to the genre. - Jesús Iván González
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiSiNgaQBYE the video of the interview. - Jesús Iván González
Delete“Often the essayist simply begins writing about those thoughts, perceptions, and experiences that are pressing for her attention.” This hit perfectly how I usually start writing. I dump my ideas on paper and then find the link of what made me think of them in the first place. Why I decided to talk about these themes and not others. Starkey mentions that even with the freedom of exploration we have in creative nonfiction, there is still structure throughout. I like what he writes about and essays ending. He mentions how it should resonate after the last written words. Like a symphony finishing a composition and leaving the audience with delight as sound evaporates. I’d like to be able to do the same in my writing as I also think a good ending to a story encompasses what the writer may want to say. Telling so much with nothing to read. Character development and dialogue have been something I like to dive into. Much like a cinephile, I enjoy movies that do these two topics very well. The examples presented said so much in so little writing. I liked how in Liferower we understand the woman more simply by knowing she exercise to keep a strong heart. The dialogue of the machine she is using puts us back into the present and keeps the theme going. I feel it keeps a vivid theme beating; I was there every time she wrote “in through the nose, out through the mouth.”
ReplyDelete-Leonardo Torres
Growing up, I was drawn to fictional stories. In middle school I loved science fiction and cheesy love stories. Diving into the fantasy world let me use my imagination which I learned to genuinely appreciate. Growing up in a religious family, there was not many other avenues where I could channel that free, imaginative energy. My sister, on the other hand, connected with non-fictional stories. Autobiographies, and books based on true stories. To this day, I will rather watch the Harry Potter series while she’d choose to watch Soul Surfer. But over the years, my perspectives have changed. Growing up into a young adult is not always easy. Reading books was a solace for me, but I started to crave a story that I could truly relate to. I wanted to understand real life, and real people’s thoughts. I first read A Boy Called It. Though its more of a biography, I still feel that it opened my eyes to cruelty, ignorance, and made me feel sympathy and sadness. The 5 r’s informed me of the guidelines for creative non-fiction. And though, usually a writer is just trying to make the reader feel something, some creative non-fictions are just shared for you to take however you’d like. Whatever that may be. The essays provided were moving and yet different from each other at the same time. My eyes were opened and so was my heart. I love that creative non-fiction can stir people in its own authentic, unique way.
ReplyDeleteCassandra Ann Ramos
Writing Creative nonfiction is much more complex than it seems. So many rules in writing, but what I found interesting about this particular section is “Telling the truth” based on the nonfiction essays as "stories". The key is personal viewpoints. From this reading I understood that it’s helpful to write your personal beliefs, as they come out as the truth of what you stand for. I feel it helps the writer remember certain events in their life’s and gives them a more creative scenario of this nonfiction of story to tell. Writing about an experience is much more vivid through writing than a make-up story, so basically in pages 190-193 it gives us readers a more understanding way of writing about personal matters rather than something made up. Eliminating too much research in a paper is recommended as well which I completely agree because we don’t want to sound boring in our writing. Like the checklist that is presented in page 189. I loved this because as a college student we need to double check our work and ask ourselves did I focus on this, does it give a clear thesis or etc… I thing to be a good writer you have to be organized and this is a good way to start it. -Carina Pompa
ReplyDeleteReading is something that is harder for many people to enjoy and often find themselves interested, I am a huge fan of poetry so its harder for me to get involved with the many other genres that are present. Non-fiction writers are probably my second favorite authors because they write on accounts of the things that have happened within their life. The reading had informed me of many things that I was unaware of and opened my mind to many different things. Often, non-fiction stories could be deemed as stories that are to mold people because it accounts for what the author had to go through to write the story that is being read. With non-fiction, it allows the reader to have free roam of the telling of their own story and having the story be told with the amount of creativeness that is flowing within them. I believe that non-fiction writers have such a freedom when it comes to writing that they can truly grasp the attention of many readers. Makaela Mosley
ReplyDeleteWriting short story non-fiction poses several challenges. creating a true story or essay while engaging the reader in an informative and intellectual way. information in and by itself may not be interesting to most people without the creative aspect. the introductory paragraph as well as the thesis statement must be inviting to the audience or else fall prey to boredom thus resulting in a reader putting down the story and maybe never returning to this article and other ones by the same author. The information must be correct. if it is a factual piece, misinformation, both intentional or accidental, may result in a court due to liability especially if it concerns a person. If a person's reputation is not damaged the information may be viewed by as an unforgivable error by the author attributable to lack of research or just plain laziness. Permission of person's involved in the story should be attained at the onset due to possible embarrassing or uncomfortable personal information being shared with the general populace. In the reading we have three writers with distinct styles and techniques to express their own unique life events. Mclanahan in Liferower espouses extremely personal and life changing events in a creative way by interjecting an exercise machine, a yoga instructor, and a fellow exerciser by her while at the same time explaining to us her source of low self worth. She refers to the cartoon rower as like someone without pain. Perfect. Never tiring. She then describes in detail the living heart, and how failing hearts run in her family. A sense of fear and despair appear. She then turns our attention to her personal life and the events which possibly led her to this state of negativity. A failed marriage that lasted three years longer then it should have. A pregnancy and an abortion in between husbands which she describes so vividly without expressing much regret or feelings. So much detail. So little show of emotion. The time attending her Sister's first sonogram pointing out that at five weeks you can see a baby's heart beating. In Brian Doyle's Joyas Voladoras, while going through a difficult time in his life, where his own child went through a serious heart surgery he goes into detail about hummingbirds in regards to their hearts. He explains the size of hearts of different animals using descriptive to help his readers understand the content. he develops a rhythm and beat by naming the different types of hummingbirds. The most interesting read, in my opinion, was Sedaris' Jesus Shaves. An intentional play on words at the onset. His humor caught my attention right away while keeping me attentive and engaged throughout the story. the scene is incredibly vivid. The words used by the French teacher, and the responses given by the students. The question of what happens at Easter has a descriptive response given by five different people from three different parts of the world. The exchange between pupil and teacher is hysterical. the flying bell versus the easter bunny is priceless. The use of humor is paramount to his success.
ReplyDeleteSpiro Zagouris
i am ERIC BRUNT by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my wife after three(3) years of marriage just because another Man had a spell on her and she left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a man had a spell on my wife and he told me that he will help me and after 3 days that i will have my wife back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my wife. Thanks for helping me Dr Akhere contact him on email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteor
call/whatsapp:+2349057261346
i am ERIC BRUNT by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my wife after three(3) years of marriage just because another Man had a spell on her and she left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a man had a spell on my wife and he told me that he will help me and after 3 days that i will have my wife back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my wife. Thanks for helping me Dr Akhere contact him on email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com
or
call/whatsapp:+2349057261346