Writers Forum Presents Susan Bono on the Art of the Essay: How to Write Creative Nonfiction

In her Writers Forum workshop last month, Susan Bono discussed the art of the essay, describing it as a "small, subjective look at life." The founding editor of Tiny Lights: A Journal of Personal Narrative started with a great overview of the broader genre of creative nonfiction (aka literary or narrative nonfiction), which also encompasses forms like narrative journalism or the lyric essay.

Lee Gutkind, founding editor of the esteemed online journal, Creative Nonfiction, defines the genre "simply, succinctly, and accurately as 'true stories well told'... The word 'creative' refers to the use of literary craft, the techniques fiction writers, playwrights, and poets employ to present nonfiction—factually accurate prose about real people and events—in a compelling, vivid, dramatic manner." (Excerpted from Gutkind's book YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP: The Complete Guide to Writing Creative Nonfiction—from Memoir to Literary Journalism and Everything in Between.)