Creative Nonfiction: Researching and Crafting Stories of Real Life

I was using this book as the support text for an online course with Writers Online Workshops, but would have been happy to have the book on its own. The author leads the reader to think carefully about the differences between fiction and nonfiction, and what is unique about creative nonfiction. There are a remarkable number of useful sections including those on form, interviews, and revising. I have followed the chapter on revising and found it to be the most useful information to date to improve my own creative nonfiction writing.

Creative Nonfiction is an invaluable resource for writers of reality-based material. I am a television producer and college film professor who specializes in documentary production. While this book is crafted for a print writer, it is by far the best resource I have found for a complete review of the nonfiction creative process. No film or television how-tos come close to the depth and insight of Gerard's work. From formulating an idea to conducting an interview, from structuring a story to creating suspense, Gerard has articulated priceless insight to a process that is too often intuitive and hard to communicate. A stunning achievement.

This book reads as smoothly as a novel,and you don't realize you are learning something. Gerard packs a lot of good advice in here and gives pertinent examples. A definite must-add to your collection if you plan to write nonfiction.( Some of the advice also applies to fiction).