Creative Nonfiction Blog by Brenda Gaines Hunter

Craftsmanship: Specificity, Passion, Practice

Works considered the best examples of a profession tend to show a high degree of craftsmanship. Writing isn’t an exception. Webster’s Dictionary defines craftsmanship as simply dexterity in a trade or handicraft. Dictionaries will often say a dog is a carnivorous four legged animal belonging to the Canidae family. However, anyone who owns a dog knows a dog is much more than that. So what is craftsmanship? To my experience craftsmanship is a combination of specificity, passion, practice.

What is New Journalism?

The other day, I was asked, “What is new journalism?” To many of us, who graduated from college before the mid-1990s, new journalism is as foreign a term as creative nonfiction. New journalism is a subtype of creative nonfiction. New journalists still answer the questions of “who,” “what, “where,” “when,” “how,” and “why,” but they also tell their reactions to the events.

Consider Writing Your Own Story...

Only you really know your story, and unless you are famous, you will not be able to publish your autobiography. Consider writing a memoir. A memoir can be one legacy you leave for your family. In a memoir you choose important themes. At least one recurring theme is needed and should run throughout the entire book. Pay particularly close attention to the beginning, because you need to setup the book in such a way that you can go on for a few hundred pages. Oftentimes, writer's block comes from taking the book in the wrong direction.

Are Writers' Groups Helpful?

I started writing my memoir in 2004, about a year after I graduated with an MA in writing. I knew that my memoir was on the tip of my brain, but I still lacked the confidence to follow through. I felt that I needed some hand holding, so I went about starting a writers’ group within the area where I live. I quickly found out that the group was likely to become an impediment, more so than a help.

Read. Read. And Read Some More!

While taking some writing courses and reading books on writing technique are essential for helping people learn to write, reading good writing is the best vehicle out there for learning to write well.