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What Is Literary Nonfiction?

Elizabeth West
Elizabeth West

Literary nonfiction is a type of writing that tells the story of a true occurrence using creative language without embellishment of the facts. Documented facts, familiarity with the topic, a well-crafted sense of place, and literary prose must be present to constitute the form. The genre includes such varied subjects as travel writing, memoir, some true crime, essays, and nature writing.

Subject matter for literary fiction can be anything as long as it is factual. Memoirs are narratives of a significant time in a person’s life and are the best known of this kind of writing. As in journalism, the ethics of factual reporting are the same. Several memoir writers in the mid-2000s were vilified for fabricating their works.

Memoirs are narratives of a significant time in a person's life.
Memoirs are narratives of a significant time in a person's life.

Travel is a topic that lends itself well to the genre of literary nonfiction, with rich subjects like geographic wonders and adventures. A great deal of factual information can be conveyed in a fictional style about a particular destination. If the journey has unusual elements, these can be dramatically portrayed using fiction techniques. The story of a trip has a built-in narrative arc the writer can easily follow.

The literary non-fiction writer must know the subject intimately in order to illuminate the reader, so a great deal of research is necessary.
The literary non-fiction writer must know the subject intimately in order to illuminate the reader, so a great deal of research is necessary.

Four essential elements of literary nonfiction should be present in the finished piece. First, the writer must begin with documented facts, which can be verified by independent sources. Second, the writer must know the subject intimately in order to illuminate the reader, so a great deal of research is necessary. The intent is to inform the readers on a subject they may wish to know about. Deeper research enriches the narrative by bringing little-known elements to the forefront.

Third, scenes should be well-crafted and establish a sense of place to bring the reader into the story. Fourth, the piece should employ a literary prose style using figurative language and fiction techniques, such as dialogue and character development. Exploring the themes of human experience brings a universal subject to life far better than straight reporting can.

Writers who produce literary nonfiction may spend hours interviewing and getting to know their subjects or traveling to places they are writing about. Crime writers, for instance, may attend trials and hearings, do jailhouse interviews, and talk to victims. Americans Ann Rule and Joseph Wambaugh in particular have set the standard for literary nonfiction in the crime genre. They use vivid language and complete characterizations, along with extensive research, to bring the stories of both killers and victims to life.

Discussion Comments

KoiwiGal

@bythewell - It would be difficult to really draw a line between ordinary poetry and creative nonfiction poetry, though, since I would postulate the majority of poems deal with real things that actually happened, even if they are written in a descriptive or symbolic way.

When I think of literary nonfiction I think of books like In Cold Blood or The Orchid Thief or something like that. Books that have been extremely well researched and written and have an understanding that adds to the topic that simple research alone couldn't.

bythewell

@Iluviaporos - I particularly enjoy nonfiction poetry when it's done well. It usually seems to take on historical figures, but I've seen some lovely poems that were describing scientific processes or discoveries and I think it's one of the better ways to describe this kind of complicated but beautiful topic.

lluviaporos

I actually think writing literary nonfiction is a really good exercise for all creative writers. It helps to teach you how to fit a narrative into an existing framework and how to create interest in what might otherwise be dull facts.

I find that a lot of writers have trouble with the "middle bits" which are not the beginning or the climax and don't know what kinds of details to fill in there. If you've got a complete story in terms of the facts, writing it in a way similar to literary fiction is going to force you to dig deeper, because you can't just invent exciting events.

So, for example, you might have to find out and write in some of the history of the surrounding area and how it relates to your topic or whatever.

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    • Memoirs are narratives of a significant time in a person's life.
      By: bramgino
      Memoirs are narratives of a significant time in a person's life.
    • The literary non-fiction writer must know the subject intimately in order to illuminate the reader, so a great deal of research is necessary.
      By: vpardi
      The literary non-fiction writer must know the subject intimately in order to illuminate the reader, so a great deal of research is necessary.