CNF: A Special Craft
In my opinion, creative nonfiction is a type of writing that requires the most delicate care. I believe it's the art of extracting the most simple emotion of an ordinary scenario and rewording it so precisely and cautiously, that it's details would automatically ignite a blazing fire of memories in the mind of the writer.
Like all forms of art, it requires skill, practice, dedication and inspiration. It's the act of weaving together bits and pieces of meaningful moments with the beauty of words.This may explain why certain journal entries only make sense to the writers themselves. A writer may not necessarily be writing for entertainment purposes.Instead, one may be writing as a way of helping oneself make sense of the world around them.
This is what creative nonfiction means to me.
Posted in: on Tuesday, September 9, 2008 at at 4:15 PM
So your definition seems to focus on the personal aspects of CNF - and on the art/beauty of the form. I am intrigued by your comment about journal entries only making sense to the writer - if we take that further - maybe CNF is kind of like a public journal - and the meanings readers take away => though not corresponding perfectly to the writer's meaning - will arise from the details igniting a blazing fire of memories in the reader. And because the reader has different memories - but because the piece is beautiful, evocative and important - it will create something new and exciting for a whole host of readers. . .