What two techniques from journalism and fiction can best be combined in creative nonfiction?
2. What is your first answer? (In complete thesis statement format)
The ethics of extensive research from journalism and the art of storytelling from fiction writing can best be combined when creating a creative nonfiction piece.
3. What is your second answer? (In complete thesis statement format)
The art of immersion from journalism and the practice of character development from fiction writing can best be combined when creating a creative nonfiction piece.
4. List three reasons your answer is true with a real-world application for each.In journalism it is essential to apply the art of immersion because in order to effectively convey a topic through the subjects eyes, a writer must obtain an understanding and this must be done through experience. For instance, at the Claremont Courier, reporters are sent out into the field when dealing with a occurrence and/or person of interest in order to perceive the world through their eyes. It's simply not enough to view a situation from the standpoint of an onlooker, in order for a journalist to present their findings in such a way that appeals to their reader they must go beyond telling a story and delve into the practice of showing it.
As for fiction writers, character development is a crucial element of the production and progression process of the story. If not for characters, how would the author connect with their readers? A great example of character progression can be seen in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes series. In the beginning, Sherlock is depicted as a cold-hearted sociopath who has no hope what-so-ever with ever being able to understand humanity and then upon meeting John Watson, there is a slight change in his perception of the world. As he develops feelings for his ever loyal companion, the reader's opinion of him begins to shift, until suddenly the audience is able to draw connections and sympathize. They are able to embark with Watson on the path that is understanding the complex mind that is Mr. Holmes. If there were no growth in the consultant detective nor the doctor at his side, then the story would remain at a standstill.
Immersion and character development combined could create a great piece of creative nonfiction as seen in Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, where truman retells the story of the Clutter family and their brutal murder, detailing the family's personal lives and morals and delving into the twisted minds of their murders.
5. What printed source best supports your answer?
Story Craft: The complete guide to Writing Narrative Nonfiction by Jack Hart.
6. What other source supports your answer?
Good Prose: The Art of Nonfiction by Tracy Kidder & Richard Todd
7. Tie this together with a concluding thought.
"Every story has to be discovered twice, first in the world and then in the author's study. One discovers a story the second time by constructing it." -Tracy Kidder in Good Prose: The Art of Nonfiction (page 13).
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