Creative NonFiction - Taking a Closer Look, Step 1

Today we began to delve into the readings I have picked out for this unit.

All students read, "Badlands: Portrait of a Competitive Eater" by John O'Connor.

a href="http://justataste.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/badlands.png">



Next, each student read either:
"The Suicide/Murder? of Joseph Kupchik" by James Renner

or
"The Truth about Cops and Dogs" (a shorter version of the story is here.
< (photo by Eugene Richards)

We'll be thinking about the craft of the writing and what made these pieces stand out.

I'd also like to compare the "Badlands" essay to "Major League Eating: Eric "Badlands" Booker" by By Kelly Ann Senyei

We'll use the lenses of:

Personal Narrative (how are the writer's thoughts and personal response interwoven into the story? What impact does that have on how you read and respond to the text?)

Observation (what's noted and what's ignored - Why?)

Interpretation (how much room is there for you to make up your own mind? What is the writer's purpose, intent and intended audience?)

The Quality of the Craft of Writing

----

Here's the activity we did:

Creative Non-Fiction: A Close Look at the Craft of Writing

A Consideration of:

"Badlands: Portrait of a Competitive Eater" by John O'Connor.

"The Suicide/Murder? of Joseph Kupchik" by James Renner

"The Truth about Cops and Dogs"by Rebecca Skloot

---
Before we start:

Please write your name under the title of the story you read.

Get out 3 pieces of paper and something to write with.

Form a group of 3 -5 people who read the same story.

We will be discussing "Badlands" in small groups first, then sharing with the rest of the class. This will serve as a model of our process.

After we have gone through the model with a story we have all read, we will repeat a similar model with other groups.
---
We'll use the lenses of:

Personal Narrative
* How are the writer's thoughts and personal response interwoven into the story?
* What impact does that have on how you read and respond to the text?

Observation
* What's noted - Why?
* What's ignored - Why?
* As a reader,
Do you find anything missing?
Is there too much?
* As a writer,
What might you have done differently?
What would you have done the same?

Interpretation
* How much room is there for you to make up your own mind?
* What is the writer's purpose, intent and intended audience?

The Quality of the Craft of Writing
----

The following questions are in relation to "Badlands" with the group results being shared and posted

What caught your attention when you read the story? (Each group - please make a list of at least 10 things)

What did you notice about the writer's craft?
(Each group - please make a list of at least 10 things)
---

Personal Narrative
* How are the writer's thoughts and personal response interwoven into the story?


* What impact does that have on how you read and respond to the text?

---

* As a writer,
What might you have done differently?

What would you have done the same?

---

Interpretation
* How much room is there for you to make up your own mind?

* What is the writer's purpose, intent and intended audience?

----
----

Now we broke up into groups based on whether the student read "The Truth about Cops and Dogs" or "The Suicide/Murder of Joseph Kupchick and repeated the activity above.

The following questions are in relation to "Badlands"

What caught your attention when you read the story? (Each group - please make a list of at least 10 things)

What did you notice about the writer's craft?
(Each group - please make a list of at least 10 things)
---

Personal Narrative
* How are the writer's thoughts and personal response interwoven into the story?


* What impact does that have on how you read and respond to the text?

---

* As a writer,
What might you have done differently?

What would you have done the same?

---

Interpretation
* How much room is there for you to make up your own mind?

* What is the writer's purpose, intent and intended audience?

----

The 5 R's of Creative NonFiction by Lee Gutkind Questions

During my research on Creative NonFiction I found that "The 5Rs of Creative NonFiction" is a major article in this genre. I was lucky enough to find an online version of it. Please read the article and answer the questions. The article can be found:
http://www.creativenonfiction.org/thejournal/articles/issue06/06editor.htm

The 5 R’s of Creative Non-Fiction By Lee Gutkind
Comprehension Questions

1. What is your response to paragraphs 1-4 and 6-8?

2. What does the author mean when he uses the term “fly-on-the-wall” or “ living room sofa” concept of immersion?

3. Use your own words to describe what the author means when he uses the term, “immersion journalism”.

4. Read paragraph #12 * (“The other phrase…) to get a sense of what he means when he uses the term, “creative non-fiction”. Make a bulleted list that explains what creative nonfiction is according to this description:

5. Explain what Gutkind means when he writes about “’immersion’ or ‘real life’ aspect of the writing experience.” R1 = Real life)

6. What is reportage and how does it relate to creative nonfiction?

7. The R2 is reflection. Whose reflection are we talking about? Why is it important?

8. The is R3 research important? Why or how is it used in creative nonfiction?

• How does is launch and anchor the creative process?

• Why research? What is the benefit?

9. The R4 is reading? What kind of reading should be done? Why?

10. Explain the two phases of R5, writing

• Phase #1:

• Phase #2:

11. Why are vignettes important in creative nonfiction?

12. Explain the importance of the following elements of a scene:
• Action –

• Dialogue –

• Intimate and specific details –

13. What does he mean when he says, “The frame represents a way of ordering or controlling a writer’s narrative”?

• How do flashback figure into framing and storytelling?

14. Explain who the following people are and how they are connected:
• Richie Becker –

• Dave and Winkle Funk –

• Pvt. Rebecca Treat –

• Dr. Bartley Griffith

Creative Non-Fiction Article Review and Analysis

Creative Non-Fiction Article Review and Analysis


Please use the questions below to assess the creative nonfiction reading of your choice. You can elect to read:
"Where Meat Comes From" by Stranger Than Fiction: True Stories by Chuck Palahniuk
This is an reading about amaetur wrestling and an attempting to get on the Olympic Wrestling team.



"Beyond the Black Box" from Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
Mary Roach displays her excellent writing talents when she shadows a forensic investigator who inspects the human remains from airplane crashes in order to determine what really happened.



" Because My Father Always Said He Was the Only Indian Who Saw Jimi Hendrix Play ’The Star-Spangled Banner’ at Woodstock " The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Sherman Alexie weaves his tale of his childhood and his longing to be loved by his father. He used the music of Jimi Hendrix as a way to get in contact with him.

Directions: Please select one of the writings from above and answer the questions below.

Title: Author:

Type: (circle one or two that seem to fit )
personal essay (any subject) memoir (memories of a life)
literary journalism (using fictional elements to tell a news story)
narrative history (retelling an event in history)
travel journalism nature/science essay

Real life: What real life event is this essay about?

Create a summary of what the text is about.
(What is going on? What is the story this writer tells?)


Sense of place/setting: What does the setting look like?
Feel like? Where is it? When is it?

Point of view: Who is telling the story?
Why did the author choose him/her?

What can he/she see or know that others might not or don't know?


Voice: Choose three of the following adjectives to describe the narrative voice in your essay:
serious | casual/informal | instructive | sincere |sarcastic | cocky | reflective | young | old | indignant | optimistic | pessimistic | honest | _________________________________ your own adjective

Explain why you chose those adjectives using reasoning and specific examples from the text:

*

*

*

Character: Who is the dominant character or person in this essay?

What do you know about him/her? Appearance? Personality?

What is it that he/she wants/needs/cares about, etc.?


Language
What is the tone (emotional quality) of this essay?
Use an emotion word for your answer.

How effectively does the author use any of the following:

Dialogue

figurative language (metaphor, simile, personification, hyperbole, etc.)

imagery. Choose one of these and give an example and say something about how it helps you understand the story.

Purpose/Theme/Impression: What does this essay reveal about life? Is it about human relationships? Is it about right and wrong? Is it about what is important? Be specific.


Style/ Quality:
In terms of the author's style and the major theme(s), what do you think are particularly significant passages (generally, 20 to 50 words each)?

What specific qualities of the text warrant its characterization as a work of literary nonfiction?

What are the distinguishing characteristics of the work?

What sort of reader does the writer seem to be targeting--and what sort of reader might gain the most enjoyment out of the work?

What is your overall evaluation of the reading?

---------------------
This worksheet has been an adaptation of the works of:
© 2008, Dawn Hogue ▪ Permission granted for classroom use only. Reprinting without permission not permitted.
And http://www.nt.armstrong.edu/lnbooks.htm#1