José Rizal, in full José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda, (born June 19, 1861,

Calamba, Philippines—died December 30, 1896, Manila), patriot, physician, and man of letters who
was an inspiration to the Philippine nationalist movement.
The son of a prosperous landowner, Rizal was educated in Manila and at the University of Madrid. A
brilliant medical student, he soon committed himself to the reform of Spanish rule in his home
country, though he never advocated Philippine independence. Most of his writing was done in
Europe, where he resided between 1882 and 1892.
In 1887 Rizal published his first novel, Noli me tangere (The Social Cancer), a passionate
exposure of the evils of Spanish rule in the Philippines. A sequel, El filibusterismo (1891; The Reign
of Greed), established his reputation as the leading spokesman of the Philippine reform movement.
He published an annotated edition (1890; reprinted 1958) of Antonio Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas
Filipinas, hoping to show that the native people of the Philippines had a long history before the
coming of the Spaniards. He became the leader of the Propaganda Movement, contributing
numerous articles to its newspaper, La Solidaridad, published in Barcelona.

Rizal’s political program included integration of the Philippines as a province of Spain,

representation in the Cortes (the Spanish parliament), the replacement of Spanish friars by Filipino
priests, freedom of assembly and expression, and equality of Filipinos and Spaniards before the law.

Rizal returned to the Philippines in 1892. He founded a nonviolent-reform society, the Liga
Filipina, in Manila, and was deported to Dapitan in northwest Mindanao. He remained in exile for the
next four years. In 1896 the Katipunan, a Filipino nationalist secret society, revolted against Spain.
Although he had no connections with that organization and he had had no part in the insurrection,
Rizal was arrested and tried for sedition by the military. Found guilty, he was publicly executed by a
firing squad in Manila. His martyrdom convinced Filipinos that there was no alternative to
independence from Spain. On the eve of his execution, while confined in Fort Santiago, Rizal wrote
“Último adiós” (“Last Farewell”), a masterpiece of 19th-century Spanish verse.

MY BOYHOOD
José Rizal wrote the first three chapters in 1878. He was seventeen years old at that time.
CHAPTER I
My Birth and Earliest Years in Kalamba I was born on Wednesday, the nineteenth of June, 1861. It was
a few days before the full of the moon. I found myself in a village. I had some slight notions of the morning sun
and of my parents. That is as much as I can recall of my baby days. The training which I received from my
earliest infancy is perhaps what formed my habits. I can recall clearly my first gloomy nights, passed on the
azotea of our house. They seem as yesterday! They were nights filled with the poetry of sadness and seem
near now because at present my days are so sad. On moonlight nights, I took my supper on the azotea. My
nurse, who was very fond of me, used to threaten to leave me to a terrible but imaginary being like the bogey
of the Europeans if I did not eat. I had nine sisters and a brother. Our father was a model parent. He gave us
the education which was suitable in a family neither rich nor poor. He was thrifty. By careful saving, he was
able to build a stone house. He also bought another house; and he put up a nipa cottage on our plot of
irrigated ground. The cottage was shaded by bananas and trees. At nightfall, my mother had us all say our
prayers together. Then we would go to the azotea or to a window to enjoy the moonlight; and my nurse would
tell us stories. Sometimes sad and sometimes gay, nurse's stories were always oriental in their imagination. In
these stories, dead people, gold, and plants on which diamonds grew were all mixed together.
When I was four years of age, my little sister Concha died, and for the first time I cried because of love
and sorrow. Till then I had shed tears only for my own faults, which my loving, prudent mother well knew how
to correct. I learned to write in my own village. My father looked after my education. He paid an old man, who
had been his schoolmate, to teach me the first steps in Latin. This teacher lived in our house till he died, five
months later. He had been in almost perfect health and it was at the moment of death that he received extreme
unction. In June of 1868, I went to Manila with my father. That was just after the birth of Trinidad, the third
sister younger than myself. We went in a casco which turned out to be a clumsy boat. I shall not try to tell how
happy I was at each new stop on the banks of the Pasig. Beside this same river, a few years later, I was to be
very sad. We went to Cainta, Taytay, and Antipolo, and then to Manila. In Santa Ana I visited my eldest sister,
Saturnina, who at that time was a student in La Concordia College. Then I returned to my village and remained
until 1870.
 Autobiography
Autobiography is a self-written account of the life of oneself. Using 1st person point of view. Autobiography is
one type of biography, which tells a life story of its author, meaning it is a written record of the author’s life. Rather than
being written by somebody else, an autobiography comes through the person’s own pen, in his own words.

Steps in Writing an Autobiography

Step One: Planning
First, you need to decide on what you will write about. For an autobiography, you should choose a real
story from your life that you care about and that shows your personality. A good idea is to write about
either a great accomplishment or a hard challenge that you have faced. Also, you have to define your
purpose. This will help you focus on the right things.

Another thing you should always do is consider who will be reading your paper and what your audience
expects to see in your text. After this, you can start generating ideas for your essay – try to use different
techniques like questioning, freewriting, listing or clustering to find inspiration.

Finally, you have to make an outline. Make it as detailed as possible to help you write it faster and not
forget anything.

Step Two: Writing

Now you can start drafting your paper based on the outline you already have. How to start an
autobiography? A good idea is to jump right in your story – your intro should start with a memorable
and eye-catching sentence that would immediately take the reader inside the story you are going to tell
while stating its main idea. What’s next? Here are a few things to do in step two:

 Always write your story in the first person;

 Use details to describe the background and setting of your story – make it very detailed;
 Do not make it too broad;
 Do not start your essay with a quote, unless it is significant for your story;
 Start with something intriguing;
 Make a smooth transition from the intro to the story itself;
 Tell what you want to tell – once you have explained the background and stated your main idea, tell the readers
what had happened;
 Finish with a clear, engaging, and memorable conclusion – tell why this story is significant to you, what lesson
you’ve learned, etc.
 Your paper is almost done!

1. Write out your life timeline. Start writing your autobiography by conducting research on your own life.
Creating a timeline of your life is a good way to make sure you include all the most important dates and events,
and it gives you a structure to build upon. You can consider this the "brainstorming" phase, so don't hesitate to
write down everything you can remember, even if you don't think the memory will make it into the final version
of the book.

 Your autobiography doesn't have to begin with your birth. You may want to include some family history as well.
Write down information about your ancestry, your grandparents' lives, your parents' lives, and so on. Having
information about your family history will help readers get a sense of how you became the person you are.
 What happened when you were a teenager? What led you to make the decisions you made?
 Did you go to college? Write about those transitory years, too.
 Write about your career, your relationships, your children, and any big life-altering events that occurred.
 2 Identify the main characters. Every good story has interesting characters, friends and foes who help
move the plot along. Who are the characters in your life? It's a given that your parents will play a role, along
with your spouse and other close family members. Think beyond your immediate family to others who have
affected your life and should play a role in your autobiography.

 Teachers, coaches, mentors, and bosses are extremely influential in people's lives. Decide whether someone
who has been a role model (or the opposite) for you will figure into your story.
 Ex-boyfriends and girlfriends might co-star in some interesting stories.
 What enemies have you had in life? Your story will be boring if you don't include some conflicts.
 Offbeat characters such as animals, celebrities you've never met, and even cities are often points of interest in
an autobiography.

3 Pull out the best stories. The story of your entire life would start to get pretty long-winded, so you'll
have to make some decisions about what anecdotes you're going to include. Begin drafting your manuscript by
writing out the main stories that will be woven together to create a picture of your life. There are a few main
topics that most autobiographies cover since readers find them fascinating.

 The childhood story. Whether your childhood was happy or traumatic, you should include a few anecdotes that
give a picture of who you were and what you experienced at the time. You can tell the story of your childhood
by breaking it down into smaller anecdotes that illustrate your personality - your parents' reaction when you
brought home a stray dog, the time you climbed out of the window at school and ran away for 3 days, your
friendly relationship with a homeless person living in the woods . . . get creative.
 The coming of age story. This heady and often sensual period in a human's life is always of interest to readers.
Remember that it's not about writing something unique; everyone comes of age. It's about writing something
that resonates with readers.
 The falling in love story. You could also write the opposite of this, the never-finding-love story.
 The identity crisis story. This usually occurs in the 30s or 40s and is sometimes referred to as a mid-life crisis.
 The story of facing down some force of evil. Whether it's your battle with addiction, a controlling lover, or a
madman who tried to kill your family, you've got to write about conflict you've experienced.

4 Write in your own voice. People read autobiographies to gain insight on what its like to be someone
else. Being authentically you is a sure way to keep people engaged. If your writing is formal and stiff, or if it
reads like a college essay instead of an expose on your life, people will have trouble getting through the book.

 Write as though you're opening your heart to a trusted friend, in prose that's clear, strong and not too cluttered
with vocabulary words you rarely use.
 Write so that your personality is revealed. Are you funny? Intense? Spiritual? Dramatic? Don't hold back; your
personality should come through in the way you tell your story.

5 Be revealing. You don't have to be explicit, but it's important to reveal truths about yourself and your

life in an autobiography. Don't let the book become a list of your accomplishments, with all the negative
material carefully kept under the rug. Present yourself as a whole person, sharing talents and flaws alike, and
your readers will be able to identify with you and hopefully root for you as they make their way through your
story.

 Don't always cast yourself in a positive light. You can have foibles and still be the protagonist. Reveal mistakes
you've made and times when you've failed yourself and other people.
 Reveal your inner thoughts. Share your opinions and ideas, including those that may spark controversy. Be
true to yourself through your autobiography.
 6 Capture the spirit of the times. How was your story shaped by the moment in history in which it took

place? What wars influenced your politics? What cultural events inspired you? Be sure to include a few
important dates so readers can understand the sequencing of the events you are describing. Discussing what
happened in the world at large during your lifetime is a good way to make your story more relevant and
interesting to those reading it.

Step Three: Polishing Your Paper

After you have written your text, it is the time to read it to see what mistakes should be fixed and what
things can be improved in your work. Here is what you should do:

 Improve grammar and punctuation;

 Ensure you have followed the right structure;
 Make sure you have included enough vivid details – such details make your text alive, interesting, and
memorable;
 Apply interesting techniques to make your essay stand out – for example, use a non-chronological order with
flashbacks to make it more intriguing;
 Stay yourself – not being yourself is the biggest mistake in writing an autobiography essay!

BIOGRAPHY
Provides details regarding the life of a person or a thing in an entertaining but informative manner. It is a
detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships,
and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events.

STEPS IN WRITING BIOGRAPHY

Step 1: Researching Your Subject

1 Ask the subject for permission to write the biography. Before you dive into your research, make

sure you get the okay from the subject to write their biography. Ask them if they are willing to be the subject.
Getting their permission will make writing the biography much easier and ensure they are open with
information about their life.[1]
 If the subject does not give you permission to write the biography, you may want to choose a different subject.
If you decide to publish the biography without the subject’s permission, you may be susceptible to legal action
by the subject.
 If the subject is no longer alive, you obviously do not need to ask permission to write about them.

2 Look for primary sources about the subject. Primary sources could include books, letters, pictures,
newspapers and newspaper clippings, magazines, internet articles, journals, videos, interviews, existing
biographies, or an autobiography by the subject. Look for these sources at your local library or online. Read as
much as you can about the subject and highlight any key information you come across in your sources.

 You may create research questions to help focus your research of the subject, such as, what do I find
interesting about the subject? Why is this subject important to readers? What can I say that is new about the
subject? What would I like to learn more about?

3 Conduct interviews with the subject and those close to them. Interviewing people will breathe life
into your research--people you interview can tell you stories that you can’t find in a history book. Interview the
 subject as well as people close to them, such as spouses, friends, business partners, family members,
coworkers, and peers. Conduct the interview in person, by phone, or through e-mail.

 For in person interviews, record them with a tape recorder or a voice recorder on your computer or phone.
 You may need to interview the subject and others several times to get the material you need.

4 Visit locations that are important to the subject. To get a feel for the subject’s history, spend time in
locations and areas that are meaningful or important to the subject. This could be the subject’s childhood home
or neighborhood. You could also visit the subject’s workplace and regular hang out spots.[4]

 You may also want to visit areas where the subject made a major decision or breakthrough in their life. Being
physically in the area can give you a sense of how the subject might have felt and help you write their
experiences more effectively.

5 Study the time and place of the subject’s life. Contextualize the subject’s life by looking at what was
going on around them. Consider the time period they grew up in as well as the history of the places where they
lived. Do research on the economics, politics, and culture of their time period. Look at the news events
happening in the place where they lived or worked.

 When researching the time period ask yourself: What were the social norms of that time? What was going on
economically and politically? How did the social and political climate affect the subject?

6 Make a timeline of the person’s life. To help you organize your research, make a timeline of the

person’s entire life, starting from birth. Draw a long line on a piece of paper and fill in as much of the person’s
life as you can. Highlight key events or moments on the timeline. Include important dates, locations, and
names.

 You may also include historical events or moments that affected the subject on the timeline. For example,
maybe there was a conflict or civil war that happened during the person’s life that affected their life.

Step 2: Writing the Biography

1 Go for a chronological structure. Start chronologically from the subject’s birth to their death or later

life. Use the timeline of the person’s life to structure the biography. Start with birth and childhood. Then, go into
young adulthood and adulthood. If the person is still alive, include information on their later life. If they are no
longer alive, include information on their death.[7]

 You may end up focusing on particular areas of the person’s life. If you do this, work through a particular period
in the person’s life chronologically.

2 Create a thesis for the biography. It may be helpful to create a thesis statement or a sentence with
your main idea for the biography. Use the thesis to help you organize the rest of the biography. Make sure all
of your content refers back in some way to your thesis.[8]

 For example, you may have a thesis statement about focusing on how the person impacted the civil rights
movement in America in the 1970s. You can then make sure all your content relates back to this thesis.

3 Use flashbacks. Flashbacks are when where you move from the present to the past. You may start
with a present moment and then include a scene of the person’s past. Or you may have one chapter that
focuses on the present and one chapter that focuses on the past, alternating as you go.[9]
 Flashbacks should feel as detailed and real as present day scenes. Use your research notes and interviews
with the subject to get a good sense of their past for the flashbacks.
 For example, you may jump from the person’s death in the present to a flashback to their favorite childhood
memory.

4 Focus on major events and milestones. Major events could include marriages, births, or deaths in
the person’s life. They may also have milestones like their first successful business venture or their first civil
rights march. Highlight key moments in the person’s life so the reader gets a good sense of what mattered to
the person and how they affected the world around them.[10]

 For example, you may focus on the person’s accomplishments in the civil rights movement. You may write a
whole section about their contributions and participation in major civil rights marches in their hometown.

5 Identify a major theme or pattern in the person’s life. Look over your research for any similarities

between events or moments in the person’s life. Check for any recurring phrases or situations in the person’s
life.[11]

 For example, you may notice that the person’s life is patterned with moments of adversity, where the person
worked hard and fought against larger forces. You can then use the theme of overcoming adversity in the
biography.

6 Include your own opinions and thoughts about the person. As the biographer, you play a role in
the person’s life story. Do not be afraid to put your own thoughts about the person in the text. Reflect on your
research and comment on how you view the person.

 For example, you may note how you see parallels in the person’s life during the civil rights movement with your
own interests in social justice. You may also commend the person for their hard work and positive impact on
society.

Step 3: Polishing your Biography

1 Show the biography to others for feedback. Once you have completed a draft of the biography,
show it to peers, friends, teachers, and mentors for feedback. Ask them if they get a good sense of the
person’s life and if the biography is easy to read. Be open to feedback so you can improve the biography and
make it better.

 Revise the biography based on feedback from others. Do not be afraid to cut or edit down the biography to suit
the needs of your readers.

2 Proofread the biography. Check the biography for spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Circle
all punctuation in the text to confirm it is correct. Read the text backwards to check for spelling and
grammar errors.
 Having a biography riddled with spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors can turn off your readers
and result in a poor grade if you are handing in the text for a class.

3 Cite all sources used in the biography. Most biographies will include information from sources such
as books, articles, magazines, and interviews. Make sure you cite any sources you quote directly or
paraphrase. You may use in-text citations, footnotes, or endnotes.

 If the biography is for a class, use MLA, APA, or Chicago Style citations based on the preferences of your
instructor.
MEMOIRS
A memoir is a form of creative nonfiction in which an author recounts experiences from his or
her life. Memoirs usually take the form of a narrative, the terms memoir and autobiography are
commonly used interchangeably, and the distinction between these two genres is often blurred. In the
Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms, Murfin and Ray say that memoirs differ from
autobiographies in "their degree of outward focus”.

While [memoirs] can be considered a form of autobiographical writing, their personalized

accounts tend to focus more on what the writer has witnessed than on his or her own life, character,
and developing self.

Difference between Autobiography and Memoir

In an autobiography, the author attempts to capture important elements of his life. He not only
deals with his career, and growth as a person, he also uses emotions and facts related to family life,
relationships, education, travels, sexuality, and any types of inner struggles. A memoir is a record of
memories, and particular events that have taken place in the author’s life. In fact, it is the telling of a
story or an event from his life; an account that does not tell the full record of a life.

Simply put, an autobiography is likely to cover one’s birth to the present — emphasis often on
accomplishments, but the more honest and revelatory the better. A memoir draws on selected anecdotes from
your life to support a theme and make a point. For instance, if your point is how you came from some unlikely
place to where you are now, you would choose scenes from your life to support that.

1. Know Your Theme

Your understated theme must be, “You’re not alone. What happened to me can also
happen to you.”

That’s what appeals to readers. Even if they do come away from your memoir
impressed with you, it won’t be because you’re so special — even if you are. Whether
they admit it or not, readers care most about their own lives.

Imagine a reader picking up your memoir and thinking, what’s in this for me? The
more of that you offer, the more successful your book will be. Think transferable
principles in a story well told.

Cosmic Commonalities
All people, regardless of age, ethnicity, location, and social status, share certain felt
needs: food, shelter, and love. They fear abandonment, loneliness, and the loss of
loved ones. Regardless your theme, if it touches on any of those wants and fears,
readers will identify.

I can read the memoir of someone of my opposite gender, for whom English is not
her first language, of a different race and religion, who lives halfway around the
world from me — and if she tells the story of her love for her child or grandchild, it
reaches my core.
Knowing or understanding or relating to nothing else about her, I understand love
of family.

Worried About Uniqueness?

Many writers tell me they fear their theme has been covered many times by many
other memoirists. While it’s true, as the Bible says, that there’s nothing new under
the sun, no one has written your story, your memoir, your way.

While I still say it’s not about you but really about your reader, it’s you who lends
uniqueness to your theme. Write on!

2. Carefully Select Your Anecdotes

The best memoirs let readers see themselves in your story so they can identify with
your experiences and apply to their own lives the lessons you’ve learned.

If you’re afraid to mine your pain deeply enough tell the whole truth, you may not be
ready to write your memoir. There’s little less helpful — or marketable — than a
memoir that glosses over the truth.

So feature anecdotes from your life that support your theme, regardless how painful it
is to resurrect the memories. The more introspective and vulnerable you are, the
more effective will be your memoir.

3. Write it like a Novel

It’s as important in a memoir as it is in a novel to show and not just tell.

Example:

Telling
My father was a drunk who abused my mother and me. I was scared to death every
time I heard him come in late at night.

Showing
As soon as I heard the gravel crunch beneath the tires and the car door open and
shut, I dove under my bed. I could tell by his footsteps whether Dad was sober and
tired or loaded and looking for a fight. I prayed God would magically make me big
enough to jump between him and my mom, because she was always his first target…

Use every trick in the novelist’s arsenal to make each anecdote come to life: dialogue,
description, conflict, tension, pacing, everything.

Worry less about chronology than theme. You’re not married to the
autobiographer’s progressive timeline. Tell whatever anecdote fits your point for
each chapter, regardless where they fall on the calendar. Just make the details clear
so the reader knows where you are in the story.
You might begin with the most significant memory of your life, even from childhood.
Then you can segue into something like, “Only now do I understand what was really
happening.” Your current-day voice can always drop in to tie things together.

Character Arc
As in a novel, how the protagonist (in this case, you) grows is critical to a successful
story. Your memoir should make clear the difference between who you are today
and who you once were. What you learn along the way becomes your character arc.

Point of View
It should go without saying that you write a memoir in the first-person. And just as in
a novel, the point-of-view character is the one with the problem, the challenge,
something he’s after. Tell both your outer (what happens) and your inner (its impact
on you) story.

Structure
In his classic How to Write Bestselling Fiction, novelist Dean Koontz outlines what he
calls the Classic Story Structure. Though intended as a framework for a novel, it
strikes me that this would be perfect for a memoir too — provided you don’t change
true events just to make it work.

For fiction, Koontz recommends writers:

1 — Plunge your main character into terrible trouble as soon as possible

2 — Everything he does to try to get out of it makes it only progressively worse

until…

3 — His situation appears hopeless

4 — But in the end, because of what he’s learned and how he’s grown through all
those setbacks, he rises to the challenge and wins the day.

You might be able to structure your memoir the same way merely by how you
choose to tell the story. As I say, don’t force things, but the closer you can get to that
structure, the more engaging your memoir will be.

For your purposes, Koontz’s Terrible Trouble would be the nadir of your life.
(If nadir is a new word for you, it’s the opposite of zenith.) Take the reader with you
to your lowest point, and show what you did to try to remedy things. If your
experience happens to fit the rest of the structure, so much the better.

Setups and Payoffs

Great novels carry a book-length setup that demands a payoff in the end, plus
chapter-length setups and payoffs, and sometimes even the same within scenes. The
more of these the better.

The same is true for your memoir. Virtually anything that makes the reader stay
with you to find out what happens is a setup that demands a payoff. Even something
as seemingly innocuous as your saying that you hoped high school would deliver you
from the torment of junior high makes the reader want to find out if that proved
true.

Make ‘em Wait

Avoid using narrative summary to give away too much information too early. I’ve
seen memoir manuscripts where the author tells in the first paragraph how they went
from abject poverty to independent wealth in 20 years, “…and I want to tell you how
that happened.”

To me, that just took the air out of the tension balloon, and many readers would
agree and see no reason to read on. Better to set them up for a payoff and let them
wait. Not so long that you lose them to frustration, but long enough to build tension.

4. Tell Your Story (Without Throwing People Under

the Bus)
If you’re brave enough to expose your own weaknesses, foibles, embarrassments,
and yes, failures to the world, what about those of your friends, enemies, loved ones,
teachers, bosses, and co-workers?

If you tell the truth, are you allowed to throw them under the bus?

In some cases, yes.

But should you?

No.

Even if they gave you permission in writing, what’s the upside?

Usually a person painted in a negative light—even if the story is true—would not

sign a release allowing you to expose them publicly.

But even if they did, would it be the right, ethical, kind thing to do?

All I can tell you is that I wouldn’t do it. And I wouldn’t want it done to me.

If the Golden Rule alone isn’t reason enough not to do it, the risk of being sued
certainly ought to be.

So, What to Do?

On the one hand I’m telling you your memoir is worthless without the grit, and on
the other I’m telling you not to expose the evildoers.

Stalemate? No.

Here’s the solution:

Changing names to protect the guilty is not enough. Too many people in your family
and social orbit will know the person, making your writing legally actionable.

So change more than the name.

Change the location. Change the year. Change their gender. You could even change the
offense.

If your own father verbally abused you so painfully when you were thirteen that you
still suffer from the memory decades later, attribute it to a teacher and have it
happen at an entirely different age.

Is that lying in a nonfiction book? Not if you include a disclaimer upfront that
stipulates: “Some names and details have been changed to protect identities.”

So, no, don’t throw anyone under the bus. But don’t stop that bus!
Creative - relating to or involving the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic
work.
Nonfiction - refers to literature based in fact. It is the broadest category of literature.
• IT PRESENTS AUTHENTIC OR REAL EVENTS, STORIES, AND EXPERIENCES.
• IT PROVIDES INFORMATIONS THAT IS ENTIRELY ACCURATE, VALID AND FACTUAL
• IT IS BASICALLY ABOUT THE AUTHOR’S WISDOM.
• IT IS THE MOST DEMOCRATIC AND MOST NATURAL FORM OF WRITING.
• ITS GOAL IS TO MAKE NONFICTION STORIES READ LIKE FICTION SO THAT READERS ARE
ENTHRALLED BY FACT AS THEY ARE BY FANTASY.

CREATIVE NONFICTION
Creative non-fiction is a fairly recent movement that seeks to apply the story-telling skill once seen more often
in fiction to non-fiction. For example, a historical work can be much more than just names and dates; it can
include tension, mystery, dialogue, emotion and relationships--all the things that makes fiction interesting to
read or watch. It is also known as literary non-fiction. An example of creative non-fiction is the book Queen
Bees and Wannabes, by Rosalind Wiseman, which was made into the movie "Mean Girls" in 2004. Not all non-
fiction is contained in books. Documentaries are non-fiction in film. Journalism is non-fiction in newspapers or
magazines. Depositions are the telling of a story as recorded in legal documents. Parents pass down family
stories verbally to children. Speeches are verbal non-fiction. The internet is filled with articles and commentary.
12 Types of Creative Non-Fiction
1. Autobiography - is a self-written account of the life of oneself. Using 1st person point of view.
2. Biography - Provides details regarding the life of a person or a thing in an entertaining but informative
manner.
3. Memoir - Focuses on an event or series of events that evoke a change of view or feelings in an
entertaining way. It helps the audience to understand one single person, the author.
4. Literary Journalism – Literary journalism is a form of nonfiction that combines factual reporting with
some of the narrative techniques and stylistic strategies traditionally associated with fiction. Also called
narrative journalism.
5. Personal Essay - Focuses on a topic through the lens of the personal experience of the narrator. It can
be narrative or– it can tell a story in a traditional way. Ultimately, it should always be based on true,
personal experience.
6. Travelogue/Travel Writing - Records the experiences of travelers in some interesting places and
circumstances. It includes vivid descriptions, illustrations, historical background, and possibly maps and
diagrams.
7. True Narratives - A true narrative essay, is a story, based on actual events. The form of the true
narrative is undefined; the purpose in telling the story is to express a point or observation.
8. Food Writing - Focuses on communicating information about food. It lets readers experience the
relationship of food to man, to agriculture, nature, climate, nation-building, culture, tradition, and even
religion.
9. Movie Review - Provides a short description of a film and includes the reviewer’s opinion about it. It
assesses the movie’s overall quality and determines whether or not the film is worth recommending. A
film review can be formal or informal. When talking about an academic writing assignment, a scholarly
film review should definitely use formal language.
10. Reportage - a kind of literary journalism that reports on an event, history or an actual case based on
direct observation, investigation or thorough research and documentation.
11. Blog - "Blog" is an abbreviated version of "weblog," which is a term used to describe websites that
maintain an ongoing chronicle of information. A blog features diary-type commentary and links to
articles on other websites, usually presented as a list of entries in reverse chronological order. Blogs
range from the personal to the political, and can focus on one narrow subject or a whole range of
subjects.
12. Testimonio - a Spanish term understood as “witness account”, embodies a narrative research
methodology rooted in Latin American history (against the backdrop of social inequality that has
plagued the region since the 1950s). A testimonio is a first-person account by the person (narrator) who
has faced instances of social and political inequality, oppression, or any specific form of
marginalization. As opposed to other forms of narrative research, where the researcher helps mold the
narrative or becomes a conduit to voice the stories, in testimonio it is usually the narrator her/himself
who is the research tool, with an interest in telling the story from that individual perspective which, in
turn, represents a larger, collective story that took place in the community that the narrator inhabits.