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Creative (non)fiction - yes or which?

  • 08-02-2012 01:45PM
    #1
    deyo
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8 ✭


    I have a good, true, purely covered (war) story to put on paper, but can't decide yet in which form. Creative nonfiction is very attractive to me as it gives an opportunity for covering entire historical truth in an acceptable form to majority of readers, in comparison to revealing traditional, dry history (or military, strategic, political and so on).
    I've been investigating masters (Thompson, Didion, Wolfe, McPhee, Mailer...) who have opened this door and it really looks interesting. At least, I'd enjoy most reading such an all-true-thrilling story on war in my country (and I'll probably be it's only reader in the end:-).

    I like (not only) war history/memoirs (on Stalingrad, Berlin, Alamein, Tobruk..., then masterpieces like 'A Bridge Too Far', 'The Longest Day', 'With the Old Breed', 'Matterhorn', 'Cold Mountain' etc. etc.) very much.
    On the other side, if one just remembers unforgettable 'War and Peace', 'Doctor Zhivago', 'A Farewell to Arms', 'Red Badge of Courage', 'Birdsong',...

    I have investigated the topic pretty well, but secondary sources are far from being enough and there's always some missing piece of information. Now I should spend much more time in interviewing loads of people to get the whole picture, i.e. to avoid any possibility of making up a single word. What really is a huge drawback for me, with lack of time & money in my mind. Again, I see this approach as a benefit by having already a prepared story (plot, settings, and part of dialogs), and since I'm not a professional/educated writer, still learning (creative) writing craft (and missing a lot of it), I think it's easier to start with pure historical scribbles (what I did, in fact) and be implementing learned stuff gradually to cover it into a final aesthetic and atmospheric nonfiction work. To be honest - I'm scared it would be a total disaster if I intend to write a great novel; the more I read nice literature the less I'm self-confident to start writing...

    Has anyone been in Creative Nonfiction area so far?
    Any constructive discussion is more than welcome!


Comments

  • #2
    pickarooney
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 35,926 Mod ✭✭✭✭pickarooney


    Hi Deyo,

    Is there any reason you think creative non-fiction is not the way to write it? IF it's your preferred means of telling the story, I think you should go for it. At the very worst if you realise after 100 pages or so that it's not going the way you want and a more factual presentation is called for you can always recycle.

    Have you anything down on paper yet?


  • #3
    deyo
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8 ✭deyo


    Hi pickarooney,
    Thank you for your reply!
    pickarooney wrote: »
    Is there any reason you think creative non-fiction is not the way to write it?

    Since I don’t want to base the story simply on chronological events (battles), but on everyday situations and feelings of people both on the front and in shelters, I'd like to involve as many personal stories as possible; and that, direct research/contacts, part is what I'm missing most to have a completed story (even factual books on the topic are hard to find).

    Although time and money for travelling(s) would be huge issues, even bigger problem is that I’m not a historian and don’t know how to do good research, i.e. how to get people to talk to me and open their hearts (though I have prepared a lot of names and some organisations to start with). Such approach requires much more digging than producing and is unavoidable.


    The whole story is so amazing that I’m afraid of being accused of making up things and writing overblown fiction (OK, that’s a minor reason and I really want, and will in and form, bring to light all details which I know are confidential and true.)
    pickarooney wrote: »
    IF it's your preferred means of telling the story, I think you should go for it. At the very worst if you realise after 100 pages or so that it's not going the way you want and a more factual presentation is called for you can always recycle.

    You’re absolutely right that it can be turned easily into fiction, what I also have in my mind. And yes, I’d like to write&read such a book exactly in that form, full of suffering and pain…
    pickarooney wrote: »
    Have you anything down on paper yet?

    I have a lot of short, unattached notes, but from this mess I can’t write two connected pages at the moment… L


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