Readings and Thoughts on Creative Nonfiction

Author: D.W. Moore

Moore writes about what makes good creative nonfiction, mainly detailed description and revision. Although memory is important in creative nonfiction, the writer must keep in mind that the reader is a stranger and so certain details to make the story more personalized should be included. Also, it is better to show than to tell. For example, Jane Armstrong's "Injection," was much more powerful because it gave descriptions and showed emotions via actions rather than simply telling the reader what she felt. Moore also emphasizes the importance of revision, and how the best writing often comes through in revision.

Below are a few select quotes from the piece, along with some of my thoughts regarding them.

Countless times what seems like a brilliant idea results in nothing more than good intentions, because the writer doesn't know what to do next.

I think I can relate to this. Just because you have a good idea doesn't mean you know how to explain to the reader your idea.

We all have a surface memory-those facts we can recall with only a second's thought-but often the best details are found only after the hard work of really sifting through memory, making the concerted effort to bring recollections to light.

The way the brain and memory works is interesting. It's cool how one memory will trigger another and gradually the original memory becomes more detailed.

Beginning writers often overlook the need for careful description, because the scene being described is already so vivid in the author's mind.

I think it's important to remember to keep the readers in mind-they don't already know what the scene looks like so it should be described to them.

But your reader is not you, or your family; rather, the reader is a stranger, with a living room and a grandfather of his or her own. Your goal should be to enable that reader to picture your grandfather, your living room.

Again, the reader does not know the writer's background, and Moore makes the point later that if the writer does not make the story more personalized, then the reader may fill in the blanks with images of their own past.

she puts us right there as she attempts the experimental treatment-"alone, sitting on the edge of the bathtub, loaded syringe poised above your prepped thigh. Your hand shakes; your breath quickens. You feel lightheaded and drop the syringe, spilling $250 dollars worth of recombinant DNA onto the bathroom rug."

I really like this description and I agree with what Moore says about it. Through her description, the writer paints a more powerful picture and gives the reader a sense of what she was going through.

Description is a basic building block of nonfiction writing, the foundation of narrative art.

I agree with this statement. Without description, the story would not be nearly as interesting to read.

Your first draft may seem like a mess, riddled with grammatical errors, confusing sentences, and sloppy word choices, or it may be relatively "correct" and well-ordered. Either way, don't make the mistake of imagining that this first effort is your best effort.

I agree with this statement. I think there's always room for improvement, and the more time you take to look at your writing, the better it will be.

Excellent sentences are often formed from chaotic, clumsy beginnings.

I'm not sure I agree with this statement. Yes, maybe the idea from a chaotic sentence can be used as part of an excellent sentence, but ultimately the chaotic sentence is changed drastically to form the excellent sentence.

The more that you examine your sentences, making them clearer for the reader and yourself, the more you will discover about your subject, and the better your writing will become.

I think this statement is true because if you think more about your writing, then you will notice what can make it better.

A particularly effective way to approach revision, especially in an early draft, is to ensure that you have enough detail in your essay.

I think this is a good way to start your revision, because that way you have one thing to focus on rather than being overwhelmed by trying to revise the whole piece at once.