CREATIVE NONFICTION

Introduction to Literary Genres

Principles, Elements, Techniques, and
Devices of Creative Nonfiction
1. Literary Conventions
2. Tall Tale
3. Myths
4. Biography
5. Science Fiction
6. Fairy Tale
7. Fables
8. Drama
9. Poetry
10. Nonfiction
CREATIVE NONFICTION
- It is focused on story, meaning it has a narrative
plot with an inciting moment, rising action, climax
and denouement, just like fiction.

- However, nonfiction only works if the story is based

in truth, an accurate retelling of the author’s life
experiences.
CREATIVE NONFICTION

- is any writing which uses real-world facts as its material, and

non-fiction’s focus is to clearly present such facts.
- writing that incorporates different creative writing techniques
and literary styles to convey truthful, non-fictional narratives.
- The focus for a creative nonfiction writer is on storytelling,
and the personal essay, memoir and feature
- writing are all examples of creative nonfiction.
 Forms in the Genres
o Personal Essays
o Memoir
o Travel Writing
o Food Writing
o Biography
o Literary Journalism
o Other essays
CREATIVE NONFICTION

- the nonfiction genre depends on the writer’s

ability to render their voice in a realistic fashion,
just as poetry so often does.
So what, then, makes the literary
nonfiction genre unique?

- The first key element of nonfiction—perhaps the

most crucial thing— is that the genre relies on the
author’s ability to retell events that actually
happened.
So what, then, makes the literary
nonfiction genre unique?

- Creative Nonfiction is focused on reality, it relies on

research to render events as accurately as possible.
- The talented CNF writer will certainly use
imagination and craft to relay what has happened
and tell a story, but the story must be true.
1. TALL TALE
A tall tale tells the story about a main character that is
described to be extraordinary compared to people in real
life. (A main character is also called a protagonist.)

2. MYTHS
A myth is a classic or legendary story that usually focuses
on a particular hero or event, and explains mysteries of
nature, existence, or the universe with no true basis in
fact.
3. BIOGRAPHY
Biography, form of literature, commonly considered
nonfictional, the subject of which is the life of an
individual.

4. SCIENCE FICTION
Science fiction, often called “sci-fi,” is a genre of fiction
literature whose content is imaginative but based in
science.
5. FAIRY TALES
A fairy tale is a children’s story in a magical setting
about imaginary characters that include fairies,
dwarfs, witches, angels, trolls, and talking animals.
6. FABLES
Fable, narrative form, usually featuring animals that
behave and speak as human beings, told in order to
highlight human follies and weaknesses.
7. DRAMA
Drama is a mode of fictional representation through
dialogue and performance. It is one of the literary genres,
which is an imitation of some action.
8. POETRY
Poetry is a literature that evokes a concentrated
imaginative awareness of experience or a specific
emotional response through language chosen and
arranged for its meaning, sound, and rhythm.
1. Antagonist is the character or force against which another
character struggles.
2. Allegory is a symbolic narrative in which the surface details
imply a secondary meaning.
3. Character is an imaginary person that inhabits a literary work.
4. Characterization refers to the way the actors represent the
character of the story.
5. Climax is the turning point of the action in the plot of a play
or story.
6. Complication is the intensification of the conflict in a story or
play.
7. Convention refers to a customary feature of a literary work
such as the use of a chorus in Greek tragedy and the inclusion of
an explicit moral in a fable.
8. Dénouement is the resolution of the plot of a literary work.
9. Imagery is the pattern of related comparative aspects of
language, particularly of images.
10. Irony is the contrast or discrepancy between what is said
and what is meant.
11. Foil is a recurring object, concept, or structure in a work of
literature refers to the Motif. A character who contrasts and
parallels the main character in a play or story.
12. Forms include the organization, style and
sequence of a narrative such as films being
structured in flashback.
13. Metaphor refers to the comparison between
essentially unlike things.
14. Mood is the atmosphere or emotional condition
created by the piece within the setting.
15. Personification refers to the endowment of
inanimate objects or abstract concepts with animate
or living qualities.
16. Recognition is the point at which a character
understands his or her situation as it really is.
17. Resolution refers to the sorting out or
unraveling of a plot at the end of a play, novel,
or story.
18. Reversal refers to the point at which the
action of the plot turns in an unexpected
direction for the protagonist. Plot is the unified
structure of incidents in a literary work.
19. Rising action is a set of conflicts and crises that
constitute the part of a play's or story's plot leading up to
the climax.
20. Round character is one who is complex and perhaps
even contradictory.
21. Stagecraft is one of the conventions of drama refers to
the dramatic devices used to grab the audience’s
attention and convey the playwright’s ideas.
22. Setting refers to the time and place of a literary work
that establish its context.
23. Subject is what a story or play is about.
24. Subplot refers to a subsidiary or subordinate or
parallel plot in a play or story that coexists with the
main plot.
25. Symbol is the object or action in a literary work
that means more than itself.
26. Themes are interpreted based on the
expectations of the audience that revolve around
the external and internal conflicts of the characters.
ACTIVITY: (100 POINTS)
Introduce yourself creatively and uniquely in an essay form. The
contents of your essay are:
1. Personal Information – name, origin of name, age, birthday,
address, name of parents and siblings
2. Interests- Favorites (band/singer, songs, color, food, books)
3. Passion – What I love to do? What I want to be in my life?
(e.g. singing, dancing, painting, traveling, writing, etc.)
4. Goal – goal for myself and goal for my family
5. A quote/line/saying/bible verse that I lived by- Give one and
expound why you choose it.
 Draw an object or symbol that
symbolizes your favorite character.
Share what you and your favorite
character have in common.
Types of Character
A. Major characters
- These are the most important characters in the story.
Protagonist – This is the main character, around which the whole story
revolves.
Example: For Filipino teleseryes: Ricardo Dalisay of Ang Probinsyano

Antagonist – This character, or group of characters, causes the conflict

for the protagonist.
Example: Lord Voldemort of Harry Potter novel of J.K. Rowling
B. Minor characters
- These are the other characters in a story. They are not as important as
the major characters, but still play a large part in the story.
Foil – A foil is a character that has opposite character traits from
another, meant to help highlight or bring out another’s positive or
negative side.

J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter. Draco Malfoy is a classic foil. Both Draco and
Harry are wizards, but Malfoy’s lust for evil reinforces Harry’s
determination to use his power for good. Malfoy sometimes doubles as
the antagonist, blocking Harry’s quest to kill Lord Voldemort and avenge
his parents’ murders.
Static – Characters who are static do not change
throughout the story.
Example: The wicked stepsisters of Cinderella are static character to the
sweet and kind Cinderella.
Dynamic – Dynamic characters change throughout the
story. They may learn a lesson, become bad, or change in
complex ways.
Flat – A flat character has one or two main traits, usually
only all positive or negative.
Round – These are the opposite of the flat character.
These characters have many different traits, good and
bad, making them more interesting.
Stock – These are the stereotypical characters.
The Importance of Character

- Without a character, there is no story to tell, only a lot

of scenery.
- Characters are what make stories.
Provide answers for each task that is given. Write your answer on a
separate paper (bond paper).

1. If you are given a chance to be a character or an actor/actress and is

given an option among the types of characters, what would be your
pick? Expound your answer by indicating the role you want to be and the
reason why you choose it. (25 points)
2. Choose a recent Filipino drama or teleserye . Classify on what type of
character they portray in the drama. Explain their roles and how it is
classified in that particular type of character. (25 points)
3. Look around you. How do the people you see reveal hints of character
in their dress and external appearances? What can you learn about
creating character from this? (25 points)
The Whisper Race!
Fiction Defined

- Fiction refers to a literary work which comes from the

author’s imagination.
Through the fictional narrative, a writer may inform,
entertain, inspire, or even persuade (Littlehale, 2020).
 MasterClass (2019) classifies
fiction into 14 different forms
1. Literary Fiction
- It refers to literary works with artistic value and
literary merit. Political criticism, social
commentary, and reflections on humanity are
most often the content of literary fiction.
2. Mystery.
- Also known as detective fiction, mystery often
follows a plot with a detective as character or
someone playing detective and tries to solve a case
with a sprinkling of clues here and there, giving the
readers a feel for suspense, creates anticipation, and
ultimately bares the truth with some unexpected
turns with nonetheless satisfying conclusions.
3. Thriller
- This fiction type is characterized by dark,
mysterious and suspenseful plots. It rarely utilizes
humor but highlights techniques like plot twists, red
herrings, and cliffhangers which can keep readers
guessing until the very end.
4. Horror
- Written to shock, startle, scare, and even repulse
the readers, horror fiction creates a horrifying sense
of dread and may include characters like ghosts,
vampires, werewolves, witches, and monsters.
Horror themes may be of death, demons, evil spirits,
the afterlife, and even fear itself.
5. Historical
- This type of fiction involves the creative use of
research to be able to transport readers to another
time and place. This time and place may be real,
imagined, or a combination of both. Some historical
fiction may utilize characters who were historical
figures and use real events in history.
6. Romance
- Created with a light-hearted, oftentimes optimistic tone,
and most often a satisfying conclusion, romantic fiction
highlights love stories between people.
7. Western
- Stories of this type often portray characters and setting
of the western frontier like cowboys, outlaws, and settlers
of the American Old West.
One distinct feature of this form is that it relies mostly on
the specific locale, culture, and language of that era in
history.
8. Bildungsroman.
- Literally translated as “a novel of education” or “a
novel of formation,” this form highlights the transition
or metamorphosis of a character from youth into
adulthood. The transition from immaturity to maturity
experienced by the character may involve a profound
loss, an insightful journey, or an intense conflict.
9. Speculative fiction
- This type may be a combination of different fiction forms
like dystopian, science fiction, and fantasy, or any other
combination.
10. Science Fiction.
- Classified under speculative fiction, sci-fi uses
elements that do not exist in the real world. Inspired
by both natural science (physics, chemistry, and
astronomy) and social sciences (psychology,
anthropology, and sociology), sci-fi stories may focus
on time travel, space exploration, and societies of
the future.
11. Fantasy.
- Another type of speculative fiction, fantasy has
imaginary characters and worlds and may have
influences of mythology and folklore which can be
appealing to both children and adults alike.
12. Dystopian.
- In contrast to utopian fiction which portrays a
world better than the one we have, dystopian fiction
depicts a society that is worse than ours. Dystopian
fiction is also another type of science fiction.
13. Magical realism.
- The world portrayed in magical realism is similar to
our real world but with added magical elements
which are considered “natural” in which the story
takes place.
14. Realist literature.
- This type of fiction portrays a world very much like
ours, with all the elements created as truthful as it
can be as it happens in our world.
Some academics also classify fiction into sub-genres which
include the following:
1. Short Story.
- Shorter in length than a novel, a short story is a fictional prose
work which usually focuses on one plot, one main character
(with a few additional minor characters), and one central theme.
It aims at unity of effect and creation of mood rather than on
plot. Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Philosophy of Composition”
describes a short story as one that “should be read in one
sitting, anywhere from a half hour to two hours. In
contemporary fiction, a short story can range from 1,000 to
20,000 words.”
2. Novel
- A novel is a narrative prose work of considerable
length that talks about significant human
experience. The novel’s beginnings date back to as
early as the writing of “Tale of Genji” by Murasaki
Shikibu; later, in the early seventeenth century,
European novels came to be written (Prahl, 2019).
2. Novel
- A novel is also characterized by the following: (1)
written in prose form, (2) considerable length or
word count, (3) fictional content, and (4)
individualism; that is, it appeals to an individual
audience as a reader rather than to a group.
3. Myth
- Derived from the Greek mythos, which has a range
of meanings from “word,” through “saying” and
“story,” to “fiction,” a myth is a symbolic narrative
of unknown origin and tells events which are partly
traditional and associated with religious beliefs.
4. Legend.
- A legend is traditional tale which is thought to have
historical bases.
5. Fable
- A fable is an instructive story about human social
behaviour with personified animals or natural
objects as characters and always ends with an
explicit moral message. The concept of time and
space is also not specific in a fable.