Author: Robin Blue
Date:   09-29-02 19:55

Hello. I have a question and feel a little silly asking, but if I don't ask, I won't get the answer. I am thinking about nonfiction. Could someone give me a simple breakdown between these: creative nonfiction, narative nonfiction, general nonfiction. I am understanding there are differences in these genres and proposal writing should be taylored to the specific type. I always thought that a work was either fiction or nonfiction. I didn't know there was a breakdown between them that went beyond that.

Thanks,

Robin

Author: Nellie Butler
Date:   09-29-02 20:44

Robin,
I have a book called "Writer's Market FAQs." It goes into the breakdown of the genres. I went further into it than you asked, but I figured maybe it would help others who have similar questions.

"Narative nonfiction is character driven nonfiction having a structure that echoes fiction."

There's also True Crime and Current Events which "allow us to peerinto the mind of the demented, though it is also very influenced by how much of a gripping story can be woven, who the characters are, where the story takes place and so on."

Biography-which can take on several different forms. It "has to have a theme, and its subject has to fit into the contect of teh times in which the subject lived.

Memoirs-which generally focus on "personal pain and growing and learning experience"

How-to Books-this is pretty self explanatory

Reference Books-usually the type sold to libraries and schools

Cookbooks-also self explanitory

Travel Books-ditto

Pop Culture-writing on a subject that you are something of an expert on--entertainment type things

Humor-books with humorous obsevations on life

Children's Books and Young Adult--picture or word books that focus on issues that affect children and teens today

Creative nonfiction is basically narrative nonfiction.
I hope this helps, as far as what the genres are anyway.
Nellie

Author: Nellie Butler
Date:   09-29-02 20:47

Man, I made a lot of typos! Oh well, what's done, is done. I hope you can still get the gist of things anyway!

Author: Justin Morgan
Date:   09-30-02 14:43

Must a writer's (professional or amature) nonfiction work, fall into strict categories of creative nonfiction, narative nonfiction, or general nonfiction?

Not trying to be a total 'purist', but can't reform of the integrity of the work, sometimes lead to second rate art from the artist?


Justin

Author: Nellie Butler
Date:   09-30-02 14:50

Genres are basically for bookstores and libraries--to help them know where to put your book. There are a lot of books that don't fit strictly into one specific genre. In those cases, you just find the one that is the closest to yours and classify it as that.
BTW-the book I went off of above says that creative fiction and narrative nonfiction are the same thing. I listed the different areas of the nonfiction genres above. I hope this helps,
Nellie

Author: Bronco
Date:   09-30-02 16:38

Actually Nellie, category titles are very important to publishers for promoting and marketing reasons. Publishers always call a book something, label it by some category, and this is why they always want the writer and the agent to call the book something.

Author: Nellie Butler
Date:   09-30-02 18:56

I do realize that, Bronco. The reason they put so much into that is because of the selling market for those books, which they get from the book stores and the like. It's what helps them know what the going market is at the time for your book.
I wasn't trying to say it wasn't important. You can discern which genre your book is when querying it, but ultimately the publisher decides for sure when putting it on the market.
Nellie