Creative Nonfiction

CREATIVE NONFICTION
First Topic: Introduction to Literary Genres
Content Standard: The learner understands the literary
conventions that govern the different genres
Performance Standard: The learner clearly and coherently uses
a chosen element conventionally identified with a genre for a written
output.

“Creative Nonfiction heightens the whole
concept of essay writing. It allows a writer to
employ the diligence of reported, the
shifting voices and viewpoints of a novelist,
the refined wordplay of a poet and the
analytical modes of an essayist,”

On July 15, Rivermaya will have a concert at
the Araneta Coliseum. The band has just
arrived from a successful tour in China and
Indonesia. Tickets for the concert are selling
quickly.
NEWS STORY

Fans of Philippine musical band Rivermaya are
in for a real thrill. On July 15, their idol, fresh
from their sold-out tour in China and Indiana,
will be at the Araneta Coliseum for a single
concert. Maria Andrada, 18, a Communication
Arts major from UST, says this is one concert she
would rather die for than miss. Judging from
ticket sales so far, at least 10,000 other people
agree with her.
NEWS STORY

The two improved examples above are
illustrations of creative nonfiction. Creative
nonfiction combines the validity of acts and
imaginative stance of a storytelling. The word
“creative” in creative nonfiction refers to the use
of literary craft in the writing of nonfiction – to
produce factually accurate essays or narratives
about actual events and people in a compelling
and interesting way.

UNDERSTANDING THE GENRES
OF FICTION AND DRAMA

“A Movie or Story in my Mind”

Try to remember a book, a story, a play, or a
film that you have read or seen that has had the
most impact on you.
It may be something that you have recently
read or seen, or something that you have read or
seen in a long time but you simple could not
forget. Fill the blanks with the necessary details.

1. Title of the book/story/play/film
__________________________________________________________________________
2. What is the story about?
__________________________________________________________________________
3. Who are the important characters in the story? Give a brief
description of each character.
a. Character 1: _______________________________________
Description: _____________________________________________________________
b. Character 2: _______________________________________
Description: _____________________________________________________________
c. Character 3: _______________________________________
Description: _____________________________________________________________
4. Where did the story take place?
_________________________________________________

FICTION
 defined as “a series of imagined
facts which illustrates truths
about human life.”
 commonly called “stories”, and
can either be short (Short Story)
or rather long (Novella or
Novel)

DRAMA
 uses traditional conventions of
fiction but has an additional
distinctive characteristic of
being performed and
 mounted on stage

ELEMENTS OF FICTION AND
DRAMA
Plot The sequence of events happening in a
story
Setting The place and time where and when an
event happen
Characteristics The persons who inhabit a story
Theme The central idea, or thesis, or overall
message that the story conveys

Comparison and Contrast of the Conventions and Devices between
Fiction and Drama
 Fiction is generally classified as short story or novel.
A Short Story is a brief artistic prose form that
centers on a single main incident and intends to
produce a single dominant impression. A novel is an
extensive prose narrative that contains chapters ad
interludes.

Fiction and Drama
 Plays (drama), however, are generally classified into
acts or major divisions. The most common are one-
act play, which has one unit of time, one unit of
place, and one unit of action play; and three-act
play, which showcases a longer exposition of the
them and conflict.

Fiction and Drama
 All stories must have on point of view. The point of
view is the vantage point or the angle from which
the readers can see how the story unfolds. It can be
told from the perspective of a narrator, a main or
supporting character, or an observer. It can also
come from an omniscient (all-knowing) being.

Fiction and Drama
 Drama also employs point of view but this is not
apparent and evident in a play. What is visible is the
interplay of dialogue between and among
characters. This is the component that moves the
action of the play. A dialogue is what the viewers see
and hear in a performance and these are the words
uttered by the characters in a dramatic play.

Fiction and Drama
Exposition Introduces he characters and dramatic situation of the story or play
Rising Action Introduces the conflict of the story or play
Climax Introduces the central moment of crisis that defines the conflict
Falling Action Introduces the aftermath of conflict (whether it is resolved or not)
Resolution/denou
ement
Introduces the moment of insight, discovery, or revelation of the
after the falling action
 The development and plot in both fiction and drama has
a pattern. Generally, it contains the following:

NARRATIVE DEVICES
 Foreshadowing is used in fiction and drama as a guide
or hint at what is to happen next in the story
 Irony is also used both in fiction and drama when words
that are uttered, either by the author or the characters I
the story, are the opposites f what they actually mean.
The intention here s to present a difference between
what is imagined will happen and what actually happens.

NARRATIVE DEVICES
Flashback is employed by an author or a playwright
through the use of a past event that will help the readers
understand the present. That is generally utilized to
achieve dramatic effect or impact on the readers and
audiences.
A conflict is both present in fiction and drama. It provides
and showcases the opposing objectives of the
protagonist and the antagonist, or inside the protagonist.

NARRATIVE DEVICES
 The use of deus ex machina in both fiction and drama
was once a noble strategy. Today, it is a sign of weakness
o the written work. Once referring to the Greek practice
of physically lowering a “god” to the stage at the end of
the play to solve all the problems, today it refers to a
contrived element in the plot used to solve a problem.

TUNGKUNG LANGIT AT ALUNSINA
This is an old mythical story about the earth’s creation as
told by the people d=from Panay. How is this different
from the bible story of creation?
How to You compare and contrast the personalities of
Tungkung Langit and Alunsina? List down their respective
characteristics below.

TUNGKUNG LANGIT ALUNSINA

What do you think is the main conflict of the
story?
What general message do creation stories convey?

One day, Tungkung Langit told his wife that he would be
away from home for some time to put an end to the chaotic
disturbances in the flow of time and the position of things.
However, despite this purpose, Alunsina sent the breeze to spy
on Tungkung Langit. This made the latter very angry upon
knowing about it.
Immediately after his return from his trip, he called
this act to her attention, saying that it as ungodly of her to be
jealous, there being no other creature in the world except the
two of them. This reproach was resented by Alunsina and a
quarrel between them followed.

Rewrite the excerpt by using dialouge. Imagine what
Tungkung Langit would be saying to Alunsina, and how
Alunsina would respond to Tungkung Langit’s accusations.
Visualize the quarrel scene of the gods and write imaginary
dialoguge below. Write this dialogue on the following lines.
Narrative detail:
_______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Tungkung Langit:
______________________________________________________________________________
Alunsina:
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Tungkung Langit:
______________________________________________________________________________

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