Creative Nonfiction

My master's thesis is (in plan and theory) a collection of short creative nonfiction pieces. I thought this project would be a natural extension of my journalism career. After all, in only five short years, I'd seen amazing things. I'd interviewed fascinating people. I'd had the chance to report on everything from murders and drug raids to county fairs, the Iraq War and local politics. And I'd experienced nearly every emotion. With that background and all of that flavor, it should be easy to write creatively about such things. Right?

Not so fast. I'm finding it to be a very tedious task. For months, I haven't been able to understand why my nonfiction work is sub-par. But I've had a recent revelation, and I'm going to share it here.

As a journalist, I was trained to collect the facts and report the story. At no point during the process was I allowed to interject my personal feelings or views into the story. Now, I have to write about me. How did I feel when I conducted the interview? What was I thinking when I interviewed that man convicted of killing a child? What a change! And what a challenge.

When writing fiction, authors can assume any identity. Yes, writers do interject themselves into their characters. But in the end, the character is a composite of many. With creative nonfiction, the main character is the author. And I guess I'm still uncomfortable with revealing my true self to the world (or, in this case, my professor).

And it's tough to share my true thoughts about people. For instance, when I analyze a family member in a piece, I mention everything I love about him. But I also announce to the readers my criticisms of him. But what if he reads this? Would he be offended? So I water it down -- just in case. It's kind of like opening your diary for the world to see. You reveal your vulnerabilities, your prejudices, even your language.

I'm just having a hard time doing that. I guess I'm too cautious. Anyone else have this problem?

RECOMMENDATION: A very good book of creative nonfiction is The Beholder's Eye: A Collection of America's Finest Personal Journalism, edited by Walt Harrington.