Finding Your Truth : Avoiding the Pitfalls of Creative Nonfiction

Using disclaimers and markers also adds to an author's credibility because the author is stating that she is not really sure something took place. For example, the author can write, "I imagine that my mother first felt scared when she came to America," or "I can't remember everything about that day, but here's what I do remember." In this case, the author chooses to acknowledge doubt and continue with her story. However, writers need to be careful to not show too much doubt before their reader, because the reader will not believe the writer as much. For example, if the student cannot remember if her family's car was a Mustang or a Charger, she should pick one of these models and keep this car's name consistent throughout the piece.

Creative nonfiction is a creative hub for ideas large and small. This genre extends from travel writing to profile pieces, personal reflection to genealogy, cultural criticism to new levels of experimentation. Its tradition ranges from the 16th century French essayist Montaigne to the New Journalism of the 1960s with Gay Talese and Tom Wolfe to the recent works of Bill Bryson and Jon Krakauer, with more writers in the field continuing to push this genre's limits. Because limits can be stretched and creative nonfiction can be a forum for writers who belong to traditionally marginalized populations, this genre is a powerful vehicle for those who need to be heard and understood. What this genre doesn't need are writers who fictionalize their lives to gain, while there are writers out there who need readers to accept their real stories (that may sound like fiction) as the truth.