The Art of Creative Nonfiction Writing and Selling the Literature of Reality

by Gutkind, Lee

• ISBN13: 9780471113560
• ISBN10: 0471113565
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-01-14
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

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

Author Biography

LEE GUTKIND is a professor in the Department of English at the University of Pittsburgh, the first school to grant an M.F.A. degree in creative nonfiction. He is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship, among numerous other grants and awards. Mr. Gutkind is the author of five previous books, including Many Sleepless Nights, winner of the American Heart Association Award for Outstanding Achievement in Scientific Journalism.

Table of Contents

THE CREATIVE PART.

For Writers, Thinkers, Silent Observers (and Other People with Stories to Tell).

A Definition of the Genre--The Boundaries of the Profession.

The Devices of Creative Nonfiction.

Scenes: The Building Blocks of Creative Nonfiction.

Framing.

Main Point of Focus.

THE NONFICTION PART.

Information Transfer and the Personal Point of View.

Think Globally--Act Locally.

Getting Started.

Immersion.

Interviewing.

The Elusive Truth.

In Conclusion.

Appendices.