Webinar: Creative Nonfiction Crash Course (6/22/19)

If novels are fiction and poems are, well, poetry, then what are memoirs? What about essays, narrative journalism, and so many of the true stories that we love? From books to magazine articles to podcasts, creative nonfiction stories surround us.

This webinar will introduce you to the history of the genre and show you how to use the building blocks of creative nonfiction—including scene, character, dialogue, and reflection—to write your own true stories. No writing experience is necessary. During this session you will:

• LEARN about the history and scope of creative nonfiction;
• DISCOVER the genre through a variety of examples; and
• EXPLORE the building blocks of telling great true stories

This session is designed for writers from all backgrounds. Register online here.

Date: Saturday, June 22, 2019
Time: 1:00 - 2:15pm (EDT)
Cost: $15

Advance registration required. Space is limited.

(Want to attend the event live in Pittsburgh? There is an in-person option available as well.)

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Schedule Overview:

Webinar: What is Creative Nonfiction?

The opening presentation will serve as an introduction to creative nonfiction. We'll start by exploring what the terms "creative" and "nonfiction" mean separately -- and what they mean together. You will learn about the history of the genre while exploring a variety of creative nonfiction excerpts to get a sense of the contemporary scope of the genre.

You will also learn about the different layers present in personal writing. We'll look at Vivian Gornick's terms "the situation" (what happened) and "the story" (what it means). Next we'll identify the building blocks of CNF: scene and reflection, applying Lee Gutkid's "yellow test" to an analysis of several passages to understand how scenes (and moments of reflection) work to build a world rich with detail and meaning on the page.

The presentation will end with a Q & A.