A Guide to Creative
Nonfiction Writing
By Mary Kole
Mary Kole is a former literary agent, freelance editor, writing teacher, author of Writing Irresistible Kidlit, and IP developer for major publishers, with over a decade in the publishing industry.
Creative nonfiction is a category of writing that combines facts and real-life stories with literary elements like narrative structure, dialogue, and character development. It can be tempting to equate it to memoir or autobiography, as these terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but creative nonfiction can also be topic- or subject-specific or prescriptive, like some mainstream nonfiction books on shelves. Sometimes, memoir and self-help overlap, and the result can use the umbrella term of “creative nonfiction.” This term is more about the writing style, after all, than the substance. Let’s discuss what creative nonfiction is, its place in the publishing industry, and the parameters for writing successful creative nonfiction pieces.
What Is Creative Nonfiction?
In its simplest definition, creative nonfiction is a type of writing that blends fact with fiction in order to tell a compelling story, whether the factual basis is the exploration of a topic or personal anecdotes pulled from a life story. It can sometimes be referred to as “literary journalism” or “narrative nonfiction," and it can also represent many forms, from book-length manuscripts to essays in print magazines, blog entries, television shows and documentaries, songs, and more, if you really want to broaden the boundaries of the term. Basically, if you are combining factual information while using storytelling techniques like plot arcs and character outlines, you’ll attract the creative nonfiction label—and readers interested in this hot market.
Contemporary reading audiences often find themselves drawn into the narrative, relating to the character presented (who is often a fictionalized or true-to-life version of you, the writer), and going on a journey with very close narrative distance between them and you, the creator. This fosters an experience and tone of authentic writing and vulnerability, which are hot button watchwords in creative nonfiction.
Writing Creative Nonfiction
When you’re writing creative nonfiction pieces, there are certain parameters you should keep in mind in order to maximize your chances of success. The great news is that you can often explore a certain topic in a personal essay or blog post (or, hell, a podcast episode) and then expand your most compelling narratives into book-length works. Novelists have to write an entire novel in order to see whether it works. Creative nonfiction writers can explore shorter formats for their storytelling without committing the time and effort into developing a book-length piece. (Do keep in mind that, if you do become interested in approaching traditional publishing houses with your creative nonfiction, though, you will need a complete manuscript, which is the rule of thumb for novels and memoirs alike.)
But while you play around with format, know that word count guidelines vary depending on the publication you’re submitting your piece to, if you approach magazines or literary journals with your creative nonfiction first. Generally speaking, most magazine or periodical feature articles will range between 1,500 and 4,500 words.
Especially as you get into creative nonfiction early in your exploration of this category, feel free to play around. And remember, as with book-length memoir, you aren’t telling your entire life story from cradle to the present. That chronological account of every year of your history is no longer marketable. Instead, pick a topic or a focus around which you’re able to convey some takeaways, reflections, or epiphanies. Creative nonfiction readers are attracted to the form because they want to hear a good story, sure, but they’re also looking for advice or solidarity. For example, if you’re successfully sober after an addiction, your readership might be wondering how you did it, whether they can do it, too, and what kind of emotional journey to expect. Creative nonfiction is all about fostering this kind of human connection.
Publishing Creative Nonfiction
Creative nonfiction has become increasingly popular in recent years—among readers but writers, as well. Most magazines have a personal essay feature, and personal blogs (whether hosted on a website or in the captions of an Instagram post) have exploded in popularity. Humans are very curious to hear stories directly from other humans.
Many publications have shifted away from traditional feature articles toward stories that incorporate personal narrative elements that help bring their topics to life for readers. Writing tools like dialogue, scene setting, and imagery come into play here, where dry reporting would’ve been the norm even twenty years ago.
This has opened up new opportunities for writers who may not have previously thought of themselves as magazine or essay writers. Try your hand at a creative nonfiction piece, and you may be surprised by how well you take to this low risk, high reward market. After all, you just need to write an engaging story from personal experience about a topic you feel passionate about or know well.
There may also be publication-specific expectations regarding writing voice (whether first-person or third-person) and formatting (MLA or APA). But these details can be hashed out if someone is interested in your creative nonfiction piece. And if you try creative nonfiction at a small scale and love it, there’s always opportunity to write a book-length memoir, whether that’s a collection off essays (like Love That Story by Jonathan Van Ness, I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley, or Excuse Me While I Disappear by Laurie Notaro) or a novel-style memoir narrative.
Writing successful creative nonfiction takes practice but can be incredibly rewarding. By understanding what creative nonfiction entails and the place it occupies in publishing today, you can make sure your writing stands out from the crowd. This last task should be easy, since only you’ve lived your specific life, and come to your specific conclusions and insights. Now turn it into creative nonfiction, and share it with the world.
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