1. Week 1: Finding the Story + Researching ENG: 3217 Creative Nonfiction

2. What is nonfiction anyway Creative nonfiction: the art of brining all the strategies of storytelling to the narration of factual events. Telling true stories from a particular perspective using literary techniques Writing creative nonfiction is about finding your voice and perspective.

3. Types + Elements Types: memoirs, memos, e-mails, reports, biographies, lit journalism, news… The Contract: we are not allowed to make things up! But…that doesn’t mean we can’t tell the story using literary elements like point of view, description, or dialogue. Set a vivid scene + tell the story (that happens to be true) in great detail

4. Finding the Story Every story must have momentum Choose your characters carefully Make the reader think about your narrative arc

5. How might you write this story? 12:05 p.m., Café Dufrain. Present: girl, wearing heels, red lipstick, cute; guy, out of breath, foreign accent. Introductions. Girl orders double vodka. Guy orders espresso. Guy: “Sorry to be late, I was just….”

6. Finding the Story If fiction, rewriting this story would be simple But in nonfiction, we cannot invent anything. So why nonfiction: the power of true human experience. To find the story, you have to gather as many details bc characters are in the details.

7. Finding the Story If fiction, rewriting this story would be simple But in nonfiction, we cannot invent anything. So why nonfiction: the power of true human experience. To find the story, you have to gather as many details bc character is in the details.

8. Focus the Lens When characters meet, something has to happen to create dramatic tension You can’t create dramatic moments, but you can decide which order to present them Where you shift the “camera” is the POV and that’s what makes a story your story. E.g. focusing on lipstick says what about the character?

9. Three Elements of a Good Story Narrative Arc: series of events filled with dramatic tension Drama/Conflict: opposition and struggle is interesting Character: one who is capable of transformation; characters who struggle against each other with different goals/aims. – Characters must be complex to be interesting.

10. Researching The most challenging/most important aspect of writing CNF Think: where might you find materials? What kind of information can you get access to? How is what you have groundbreaking? CNF = new material, new perspective, new research.

11. Primary v Secondary Sources Primary: the person him/herself Interviews, memoirs, letters, oral histories, direct exp or testimony Secondary: books/resources written by someone about someone/thing.

12. Where to find info Bibliographies in books Bibliographies of bibliographies Digital databases Historical archives (some digital others not) Genealogy sites (ancestry.com) Library of Congress

13. Steps to Researching Make a list of primary sources + track them down + seek permission from the archivist Know before you go: what you’re going to see, who can give you access, how much time you’ll have, and how you’ll track, copy, and annotate archival information.

14. Evaluating Sources Does it have a bibliography? Is is an academic source? A government source? A business? What biases are apparent? Anonymous or identifying/contact information?

15. Homework Wiki Discussion Boards Reading

16. In-Class Exercise