Creative Non-fiction

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: What’s the difference between creative fiction and creative non-fiction?
Creative fiction is based on imaginary stories, people and events. Essentially, it’s been made up by the author. Creative non-fiction is based on real life stories, using verifiable facts. However, non-fiction topics are often associated with a dry, straightforward presentation of information.

Creative non-fiction is used to describe non-fiction that’s written using engaging literary techniques – where facts and information are conveyed in a storytelling fashion.

Q: Will this course help me if I’m writing a personal essay?
There are many elements of this course that will help you write a personal essay, particularly the modules that explore your opening, characterisation, research and engaging your reader. However, this course focuses on creative non-fiction in the form of a book – or other long-form text.

Q: Do I need a story idea or writing experience to do this course?
No. If you’re doing this course purely because it’s piqued your interest then you will still learn a lot from completing it. However, if you do have a story idea, then you can immediately apply what you’ve learnt to this idea. You don’t need writing experience to do this course. But if you feel that you need to brush up on your non-fiction writing skills, we suggest that you do Freelance Writing Stage 1, which covers many fundamentals about writing non-fiction articles.

Q: What’s the difference between the Creative Non-fiction course and Life Writing? Which course should I do if my story is based on personal experience?
Life Writing is completely focused on writing about your life (or the life of someone close to you, like your parent) and your experiences.

Creative Non-fiction covers a broader range of topics. For example, you might want to write about the history of a corporation, a hobby you’re passionate about, or a destination you find fascinating. Even if it’s told based on your experience with that corporation/hobby/destination, the overall focus of the narrative is the corporation/hobby/destination, rather than your life.

Q: After completing this course, what’s the next step?
After completing this course, the next step will depend on your goals. Many aspects of book writing apply to fiction and non-fiction, so we do recommend either Novel Writing Essentials or Write Your Novel if you’d like professional support as you write your book. If you decide you prefer to write shorter pieces, such as articles, we strongly recommend Freelance Writing Stage 1.