Defining Creative Non-Fiction

Defining Creative Non-Fiction

A good storyteller is a treasure in small communities; wise, observant, and always bearing some anecdotal way-back-when tale to tell. Putting story to paper though, that is the mark of a true artisan and the work we find on paper, centuries old, is humanity’s cross of wisdom surviving the ages. Without these gifts from centuries past, we would be lost adrift in this world. Within this gift of story and wisdom there is a chest of mysticism that we know as language. It is something so very complex and precious that certain societies tie mystical properties to every word and so there is no singular word or mark that is unnecessary.

To possess the drive and ability to write well is to be blessed with a gift of incalculable worth. Truth or fiction is irrelevant in the eye of a story well told and captivating. A wordsmith is fortunate in that he can go about his day with an observant eye and recapture it all like a photograph, without color or canvas, but paper and ink. With the flow of their carefully woven words our mind’s eye will see what they see and perceive all other facets of this rather insignificant (for the writer), yet made beautifully explicit day out. Through this painful process of spinning words and juxtaposing sentences we are made to feel something deep in our chests. It can be a whimsical care-free tra-la-la or a secret crushing horror and anxiety beneath the surface of what appears to be business-as-usual. Perhaps our narrator suffers of Agoraphobia; their face gleaming with sweat in the heat of the sun as they wander the busy street—who knows, but whatever we may feel is at the writer’s full discretion. One person’s vacation can be another’s worst nightmare as Annie Dillard proved for us in her captivating “Total Eclipse”.

Most importantly though, it is what the author perceives. It is his or her truth in this chaotic world. There are some who push the boundaries on what defines Creative Non-Fiction, but at the end of the day it is the world as they apperceive and so therefore we are obligated to classify it as such even if it is with a grain of salt. Creative Non-Fiction is truth as we all uniquely comprehend it. I believe there to be a basic human desire to tell the truth even if reality as we know it is skewed in the process. If the reader walks away from a work having learned not to swallow the red pill or risk a giant lizard collapsing through their bedroom wall, then so be it. Creative Non-Fiction is my verity in this life; if there is not truth then what is there? Wisdom doth not lie with falsehood, though we cannot always be sure where to draw those lines.

In the end, I find that it is Creative Non-Fiction to be the most fascinating read because truth is what we all must return to at the end of the day. We can only scale Mt. Doom (Tolkien) or praise Cthulhu (Lovecraft) for so long before we must return to truth at the end of the day. I love Fiction, but Creative Non-Fiction is my verity in this life; if there is not truth then what is there? Wisdom doth not lie with falsehood, though we cannot always be sure where to draw those lines.

Dillard, Annie. "Total Eclipse." Teaching a Stone to Talk: Expeditions and Encounters. New York: Harper & Row, 1982. Print.

Lovecraft, H. P. The Call of Cthulhu. [S.l.]: CreateSpace, 2010. Print.

Tolkien, J. R. R. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1967. Print.