Brainstorming Activities for Writing Creative

Nonfiction in the Classroom

For some, writing non-fiction can be harder than writing fiction because it requires that you write
about real events. The prospect of writing a personal essay, in particular, can be daunting if you
don’t believe anything has happened in your life that is worth writing about. Here are some
brainstorming activities teachers can use to help their students with creative nonfiction writing.

Ask Students What Topics Interest Them

Whether this is a specific time period or current events happening right now, a helpful exercise is
to ask students what people, places, events and other things fascinate them. Biographies, for
example, are a form of creative nonfiction writing. Students may wish to write a creative
nonfiction piece about their favorite historical figure. Students can be broken up into groups to
discuss, or the discussion can be class-wide.

Tap Into Emotion

Creative nonfiction writing is more about what someone felt during an event in their life rather
than a strictly accurate presentation of the facts. For example, you can ask your students to think
of a time when they felt the angriest they’ve ever been or a time when they felt elated. You can
find printable writing prompts and activities for ideas. Exercises like these are broad and allow
students to explore their inner selves, which is where personal essays come from.
Have Them Interview Each Other
A good brainstorming exercise for creative nonfiction, especially if students aren’t comfortable
writing about themselves, is to have them interview each other and write about the experiences
of a fellow student instead. The interviewed student can then give his or her feedback on the
completed story to see how well it captured the reality they experienced. This is a good exercise
in empathy as well, which is essential for all authors to develop, no matter what they write.

Give Them Time To Write

At the end of the day, the key to writing creative nonfiction is to sit down and actually put words
on the page. For this reason, allowing some time during class for everyone to sit quietly and
write is a good brainstorming exercise in and of itself. Of course, be available to talk to students
if they are having a difficult time coming up with something to write about. The point of the
exercise, however, is to get them to practice by doing.

The writing process is going to be different for each individual. Remember this as you teach your
students, because what works for you likely will not work for most of them. By using
brainstorming activities, you will help your students generate good ideas to produce their best
work. And then, when it’s all done, be sure to have them share! If you had them type up their
final piece, have them print it, or print it yourself, which would be better so as not to pressure
kids without printers at home (you can save a bit by being some affordable ink if you know their
pieces are long). Then have them gather around and have them read a bit out loud in a group
setting for positive feedback.
Detailed Lesson Plan (Creative Nonfiction) Dramatic Writing

1. 1. ANDRES BONIFACIO COLLEGE College Park, Dipolog City SCHOOL OF EDUCATION A DETAILED
LESSON PLAN IN CREATIVE NONFICTION Senior High Department I. OBJECTIVES At the end of the
lesson, the students can: A. Share insights about the video clip being shown B. Formulate
appropriate words suitable for the set of pictures C. Define the difficult words found in the
sample text D. Identify the five elements of dramatic writing based on the text E. Analyze the
situation of the sample reading text F. Devise a concept map discussing the certain elements
found in the text G. Develop the web based on the sample reading text H. Find out the main
purpose of writing the sample reading text II. SUBJECT MATTER Topic: Dramatic Writing
References:  Creative Nonfiction; Claiming Spaces: Understanding, Reading and Writing
Creative Nonfiction (A Textbook on Humanities and Social Sciences)  Authors: Noel Christian A.
Moratilla, Ph. D and John Iremil E. Teodoro  Project Director: Elineth Elizabeth L. Suarez, Ed. D 
Phoenix Publishing House Instructional Materials:  Visual aids and pictures  Worksheets for
the students  Video clip of a father and a daughter Value Focus: The understanding of dramatic
writing and the importance of it in the field of literary arts and the daily lives of people. III.
PROCEDURE TEACHER’S ACTIVITY STUDENT’S ACTIVITY A. Preparation 1. Opening Prayer
2. 2. 2. Greetings Good morning, class. How is your day today? That is good to know, class. 3.
Attendance (Teacher refers to the students’ seating arrangement chart) Who’s absent today? 4.
Review The teacher calls students to name the important elements of drama. Good morning,
ma’am. It is good and great, ma’am. There is none, ma’am. The five important elements of
drama:  Situation  Character  Dialogue  Plot  Style B. Motivation Viewing Activity: The
teacher shows a short video clip to motivate the students on the topic. Sample Video Clip:
Watch the video clip carefully and observe how the characters convey their emotions.
Motivational Questions:  How does it feel to be watching this kind of a video clip? (The
students do the activity as being told) I am moved by watching the video.
3. 3.  Why were you moved by the video? (Question comes after the answer of the students) 
What do you think the video is all about?  Do the characters in the video express a good
amount of emotion? If so, then why?  What element is found in the video that moves your
emotion? Very good! The video has a dramatic element that enables the audience to feel the
same way as to what the characters in the video are feeling. The dramatic also has a connection
to the lesson that I am about to teach to you. And for us to know, I have a game for you to play.
I am moved by the video because I can feel that the father would do anything for his daughter’s
future. I think the video is all about the love of the father for his daughter. I can see and feel that
the characters express a good amount of emotion because they have moved the minds and the
hearts of the audience. The video contains a dramatic element that moves my emotion while
watching it. C. Presentation of the Topic 4 Pictures 1 Word Activity: Now, are you familiar with
the mobile game, 4 pics 1 word? Have you played it before? Directions: All you have to do is to
form one word that fits from the four pictures being shown to you. Sample Activity: Yes, ma’am.
Yes, ma’am.
4. 4. The teacher facilitates the students of the activity. First picture set Second picture set Very
good! So, what do you think will be our lesson for today? The teacher gives a short introduction
about the topic, dramatic writing. Setting Objectives for Students: Before we continue, we have
objectives for our class today. Let us all read our goals for today, class. Objectives: A. Identify the
five elements of dramatic writing based on the sample reading text B. Analyze the situation of
the sample reading text C. Devise a concept map discussing the certain elements found in the
text D. Develop the web based on the sample reading text E. Find out the main purpose of
 writing the sample reading text The students guess the words from the four pictures being
shown to them. First word answer: DRAMATIC Second word answer: WRITING Dramatic writing,
ma’am. The students read today’s goals found on the board. D. Unlocking of Difficulties We will
have reading activity for today, class. Before we continue, let us first define the difficult words in
the text. 1. Staccato Sentence: A staccato of the different Staccato means a short clear-cut
playing or singing of tones or chords.
5. 5. musical instruments is melodious to hear. 2. Trek Sentence: Our car broke down and we had a
long trek back to town. 3. Tenure Sentence: His tenure as head coach of the basketball team will
end next month. 4. Mynah Sentence: The mynah was kept in a small cage that it is unable to fly
when freed. 5. Lush Sentence: The frequent rainfall brings the growth lush of trees, ferns and
shrubs. With that short activity, we are now ready to read the sample text. But before we
proceed, is there anything you want to know about the topic? Trek means a long and difficult
journey that is made especially by walking. Tenure means the act, right, manner or term of
holding something as property. Mynah means a black bird from Asia that is often kept as a pet
and trained to copy the sounds of words. Lush means having a lot of full and healthy growth.
(The students listen to the teacher) E. Discussion The teacher distributes the copies for reading.
Reading Material: “Caught in the Forest Fire” John Iremil Teodoro Direction: You are to read a
nonfiction text for 5 minutes. The text is entitled, “Caught in the Forest Fire” by John Iremil
Teodoro. Before we read the text, what would be the standards of reading the text? (The
teacher calls students to name the standards in silent reading) (The students follow the teacher)
6. 6. Questions for the Reading Activity: 1. What do you feel after reading the sample text? 2. What
feeling does it evoke to you while you were reading the text? 3. What was the main purpose of
the author in writing the text? You all have good ideas about the sample text that we have read
class. Concept Mapping: The teacher refers to the concept map drawn in the work sheets of the
students. I feel bad knowing about the plight of the tribe. They have to face a difficult
circumstance every day that is even rare to happen in other places. Some people would not
realize how important a house is to a person, especially when that person has thought of his
house as a home. And in just an instant, it is gone. Thus, making the villagers’ lives a great
challenge because of the phenomena. While reading the dramatic text, a feeling of mercy and
pity for the villagers is evoked. It awakens myself to read such a difficult storm to be face
everyday by the brave people of the village. It is never an easy task to be balancing and
accepting the truth that something so sentimental to you just disappears with just a snap of a
finger. The main purpose of the author in writing the text is to evoke our senses to feel
something for the tribe. It is not always easy to lose something that you have built through hard
work and determination, and the author wants to remind us that. There is always a point of
valuing something while it is still there, rather than not putting it into action. Thus, regretting in
the end when it is already gone and faded away.
7. 7. Sample Concept Map: The teacher calls a student to draw his concept map for the class to
see. The students do the activity in concept mapping. F. Application To check whether you have
understood about the topic, let us now have a short activity. Group Activity: Let us look on the
sample text that we have read earlier. The teacher divides the class into three groups and hands
each group a copy of their tasks to complete the web. Reading Material: “Caught in the Forest
Fire” John Iremil Teodoro Direction: Analyze the text and answer the guided question tasks to
complete the web for 15 minutes. Charlotte’s Web (See the graphic on this activity at the back
portion on this lesson plan) (The students listen and follow the teacher’s instructions for the
activity) G. Generalization Did you have fun with your activity? (The teacher does a refresher of
the topic for the students to remember) What are the five important elements in Yes, ma’am.
 (The students recall what they have learned through the class discussion) The five elements in
drama:
8. 8. dramatic writing? Why is dramatic writing applicable to our daily lives, class? Very good! Now
to check whether you have understood the lesson, le us have a writing evaluation for you to
apply your learning about the lesson.  Situation  Character  Dialogue  Plot  Style (The
students express their ideas and answers may vary) IV. EVALUATION Recall the most “dramatic”
event that happened in your life and explain why you consider them dramatic. Write your
experience in the work sheets given to you following this format. FORMAT Name: Strand:
School: Date: Guide Questions: 1. How do I use my knowledge of the elements of drama to write
my composition? 2. What concrete or evocative details would I include in my composition? 3.
What details in my composition would correspond to the elements of drama (situation,
character, dialogue, plot, and style) cited earlier? THE MOST DRAMATIC EVENT IN MY LIFE
9. 9. Be guided by the following criteria for scoring (60 points): Details – 10 points Organization –
10 points Conventions – 10 points Word Choice – 10 points Task Completion – 20 points V.
ASSIGNMENT Research for the most popular dramatic event in the world.
What is Creative Nonfiction?
Lee Gutkind

The banner of the magazine I’m proud to have founded and I continue to edit, Creative
Nonfiction, defines the genre simply, succinctly, and accurately as “true stories well told.” And
that, in essence, is what creative nonfiction is all about.

In some ways, creative nonfiction is like jazz—it’s a rich mix of flavors, ideas, and techniques,
some of which are newly invented and others as old as writing itself. Creative nonfiction can be
an essay, a journal article, a research paper, a memoir, or a poem; it can be personal or not, or it
can be all of these.

The words “creative” and “nonfiction” describe the form. The word “creative” refers to the use
of literary craft, the techniques fiction writers, playwrights, and poets employ to present
nonfiction—factually accurate prose about real people and events—in a compelling, vivid,
dramatic manner. The goal is to make nonfiction stories read like fiction so that your readers are
as enthralled by fact as they are by fantasy.

The word “creative” has been criticized in this context because some people have maintained
that being creative means that you pretend or exaggerate or make up facts and embellish details.
This is completely incorrect. It is possible to be honest and straightforward and brilliant and
creative at the same time.

"Creative” doesn’t mean inventing what didn’t happen, reporting and describing what wasn’t
there. It doesn’t mean that the writer has a license to lie. The cardinal rule is clear—and cannot
be violated. This is the pledge the writer makes to the reader—the maxim we live by, the anchor
of creative nonfiction: “You can’t make this stuff up!”

The Fastest-Growing Genre

Creative nonfiction has become the most popular genre in the literary and publishing
communities. These days the biggest publishers—HarperCollins, Random House, Norton, and
others—are seeking creative nonfiction titles more vigorously than literary fiction and poetry.
Recent creative nonfiction titles from major publishers on the best-seller lists include Laura
Hillenbrand’s Unbroken, Dave Eggers’s Zeitoun, Rebecca Skloot’s The Immortal Life of
Henrietta Lacks, and Jeannette Walls’s The Glass Castle.

Even small and academic (university) presses that previously would have published only books
of regional interest, along with criticism and poetry, are actively seeking creative nonfiction titles
these days. In the academic community generally, creative nonfiction has become the popular
way to write.
Through creative writing programs, students can earn undergraduate degrees, MFA degrees, and
PhDs in creative nonfiction—not only in the United States but in Australia, New Zealand, and
throughout the world. Creative nonfiction is the dominant form in publications like The New
Yorker, Esquire, and Vanity Fair. You will even find creative nonfiction stories featured on the
front page of The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

The Memoir Craze

In the 1990s, the controversy over the publication of a half dozen intimate memoirs triggered
what the publishing industry and the book critics referred to as the “memoir craze.” Angela’s
Ashes (1996) by Frank McCourt and This Boy’s Life (1989) by Tobias Wolff were both made
into major motion pictures; the British actress Emily Watson starred as McCourt’s mother,
Angela, and Academy Award winner Robert De Niro played Wolff’s stepfather, Dwight Hansen.
The Liars Club (1995) by Mary Karr, another of these best-selling tell-all memoirs, rode the new
interest in the genre, as did Kathryn Harrison’s The Kiss.

Memoirs are not new to the literary world. Henry David Thoreau’s Walden is a classic of the
form as is Isak Dinesen’s Out of Africa, first published in this country in 1938. Today the
memoir craze continues in full force. Celebrities, politicians, athletes—victims and heroes
alike—are making their private lives public. And readers can’t get enough of these books. The
literature of reality, with all of the pain and the secrets that authors confess, is helping to connect
the nation and the world in a meaningful and intimate way.

Literary Journalism

Memoir is the personal side of creative nonfiction but there’s a public side as well, often referred
to as narrative or literary journalism—or “big idea” stories. Michael Pollan (The Botany of
Desire) captures big ideas, for example, as does Oliver Sacks (The Man Who Mistook his Wife
for a Hat) through creative nonfiction.

One distinction between the personal and the public creative nonfiction is that the memoir is the
writer’s particular story, nobody else’s. The writer owns it. In contrast, the public side of creative
nonfiction is mostly somebody else’s story; anybody, potentially, owns it, anybody who wants to
go to the time and trouble to write about it. These pieces, although narrative, focus on fact,
leading to a bigger and more universal concept.

In every issue, Creative Nonfiction publishes “big idea/fact pieces”—creative nonfiction about
virtually any subject—from baseball gloves to brain surgery to dog walking to immortality or pig
roasting. There are no limits to the subject matter as long as it is expressed in a story-oriented
narrative way. These are stories almost anyone could research and write.

Because they’re so personal, memoirs have a limited audience, while the public kind of creative
nonfiction—when authors write about something other than themselves—has a larger audience.
These “big idea/factual essays” are more sought after by editors and agents and will more likely
lead to publication.
The Building Blocks of Creative Nonfiction

Scenes and stories are the building blocks of creative nonfiction, the foundation and anchoring
elements of what we do. This is what I tell people who want to write but have no experience
writing. And I tell the same thing to the graduate students in my writing classes—and PhD
students. Writing in scenes is one of the most important lessons for you to take from this book—
and to learn.

The idea of scenes as building blocks is an easy concept to understand, but it’s not easy to put
into practice. The stories or scenes not only have to be factual and true (You can’t make them
up!), they have to make a point or communicate information, as I have said, and they have to fit
into the overall structure of the essay or chapter or book. It is often a daunting task. But it’s
essential.

Writing in scenes represents the difference between showing and telling. The lazy, uninspired
writer will tell the reader about a subject, place, or personality, but the creative nonfiction writer
will show that subject, place, or personality, vividly, memorably—and in action. In scenes.
reative nonfiction borrows literary styles and forms to recount actual events and can include biographies
and personal essays. Keep reading to find exercises for creative nonfiction writers as well as resources to
help writers advance their skills.

Exercises for Writing Creative Nonfiction

Below, find a variety of exercises to help you get started writing original and imaginative true
stories. With some exercises that will help get you thinking and some designed to inspire your
creativity, there's something here for writers at every level.

Memory Walk

Go on a walk around a place you know well, maybe it's your home, your neighborhood, or a
specific park or building. As you're walking, make mental note of places that trigger certain
memories from your past. Then, when you get back from your walk, write about the most vivid
memory you recollected.

Free Write and Highlight

Sit down and write your stream of conscious thoughts for 5-10 minutes. Follow these two simple
rules: never lift your pen from the paper, and when you can't think of anything new to write,
simply write 'I can't think of anything' again and again until your next thought arrives. Once
you've finished your free write, go back through what you wrote and highlight the thoughts or
ideas that are most interesting to you. Let those ideas inspire a new piece of creative nonfiction.

How-To

Think of something you are particularly skilled at; maybe it's a task or hobby, or maybe it's
simply talking to your grandmother on the phone. Then, use the format of a how-to guide, or
self-help manual written in second person, as a framework to write about your expertise and
experience with this activity.

Enemies and Friends

Write two profile pieces, one about a person you really love and one about someone you really
don't like. Which is easier to write? Consider why one is easier for you to write than the other.
When you're writing, try to keep two objectives in mind: paint a well-rounded portrait of the
person you're writing about, and at the same time, see if you can persuade your reader to feel the
same way about this person as you do.

Chronicles of You

Do some research on the major historical moments that have taken place over the years since
your birth. Craft a timeline that combines major national and international occurrences, major
pop cultural moments, and your own landmark moments. Allow the intersection of different
moments in history to inspire your writing about one of the events on your personal timeline.

Recipe Book

Imagine an important or memorable gathering of your friends and family. Now, compose the
story of that event or tradition in the form of a recipe. Who and what are the ingredients you'll
need? How do they get combined and where? Use the language of cookbooks to keep your
storytelling unique and give yourself a creative challenge!

Writer's Resources
Writers interested in learning more about the genre of creative nonfiction or seeking to better
their writing skills can check out the resources available on Study.com. The courses and chapters
below can help you better understand the craft of nonfiction writing and guide you toward
improving your own essay-writing and composition abilities.

 Prose Nonfiction Chapter

 Composition Course
 Essay Writing Course