MWP Creative Nonfiction

DREVLOW’S GUIDE TO REVISING THE CREATIVE NONFICTION PROJECT PART I. PROVIDING CONTEXT TO HELP UNDERSTAND CHARACTER MOTIVATIONS

Remember that whatever “applied” form you choose for your CNF piece, you need to be able to subtly illustrate some part who you are and why you are writing this text (i.e. providing context for the conflict or theme you are writing about in this piece). - Note that even if your piece is humorous or satirical, it must still be nonfiction and it must still have some nuance going on

under the surface about who this person is and what makes them do what they are doing.

- You don’t want to overload your piece with background details, but you should try to subtly sprinkle in some of these details here and there throughout the piece:

QUESTIONS THAT CAN REVEAL CONTEXT FOR CHARACTER MOTIVATIONS

- What happened an hour ago? This morning? Last night? Yesterday? A week ago? A year ago? Etc.? - What is your/their most common word or phrase and when do they use it?

- What is the most common thing your/their parent(s) said when they were growing up?

- What story do you/they tell the most often in social gatherings?

- What’s the worst thing you/they have ever said to someone?

- What’s the worst thing you/they have ever done to someone?

- What was the worst fight you/they ever got into with their sibling/friend/parent?

- What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you/them?

- What is your/their nervous tic or “tell” and when does it come out?

- What was your/their first job and what was the worst day of work?

- What was your/their last job (or current job) and what was the worst day of work?

- What did you/they dress up for Halloween as a kid?

- What did you/they get for your/their tenth birthday?

- How long did you/they believe in Santa?

- What was the most disturbing dream you/they have ever had?

- What is the most recurring dream you/they have ever had?

- What was the name of your/their first pet that died and how did they die?

- What contests have you/they won/lost/participated in growing up?

- What’s the name of your seventh-grade English/Math/Science teacher and what one thing do you/they remember them

saying?

- Who was your/their first [boyfriend/girlfriend/kiss/etc.]?

PART II. PROVIDING CONTEXT TO HELP UNDERSTAND CHARACTER MOTIVATIONS

Note that good writing should convey compelling emotions to the reader, but the key word is “convey.” - If we are telling the reader how we feel (about ourselves or others or other things), we are robbing the reader of the chance

to experience these emotions for themselves.

- It’s kind of like telling a joke: if you have to explain what’s funny about it, then you haven’t told the joke right.

- If you have to explain how you feel about the things you are writing about, then you have done your job of letting the reader experience these emotions with you (instead of “from you”).

- Let your actions (and the other characters’ actions) speak for themselves.

- Start with basic behaviors that usually convey the corresponding emotions (e.g. smiling, laughing, crying, frowning, glaring).

- Then think about frequency and duration (i.e. if we like something then we try to do it as much as possible and for as long as possible; for things we don’t like, we avoid it as much as possible and for as long as possible).

- Similarly, if we think something is beautiful, we try to look at it frequently and for a long time (vice versa for things we think are ugly).

- Lastly, you can also combining things like facial expressions and frequency/duration (I couldn’t stop smiling or I cried for three days, etc.)

- Use the following examples and suggestions to help identify any “tells” in your essay and then replace them with “actions” that show (via frequency and duration).

EXAMPLES OF “TELLING” (X) VERSUS “SHOWING” (*)

CUT (“TELLS”): x I was sad/depressed/angry (“telling”)

REPLACE WITH (“BEHAVIORS THAT SHOW”): * I cried/sobbed/soaked my pillow with tears/I went through two boxes of Kleenexes. * I dropped my head. * I sulked around with my shoulders slumped. * I stayed in bed for a week. * I didn’t shower for a week. * I didn’t put on pants. * I didn’t talk to anyone. * I talked to my mom for three hours a day. * I ate two large stuffed-crust pizzas and finished it off with a pint of Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Monkey. CUT (“TELLS”): x I was happy/proud/in love.

REPLACE WITH (“BEHAVIORS THAT SHOW”): * I couldn’t help smiling—even when my boss fired me. * I laughed until I pissed my Lee’s. * Every time I looked at them, I would think of the time Steve Scott broke up with me in sixth grade and want to DM him a

photo of us together with the text “who’s ‘too fat to live’ now?” * I didn’t cry for a whole two hours.

* I didn’t hardly drink any booze that night at all (I only drank three Mango White Claws, not thirteen). CUT (“TELLS”): x I liked/loved that. x It was my favorite thing. x I thought it was beautiful. x I thought it was so cool. x It meant the world to me.

REPLACE WITH (“BEHAVIORS THAT SHOW”): * How often did you do it? * How rarely did you not do it? * How much time would you spend doing it? * What things did you avoid/ignore while you were doing it? * How often do you still think of it? * What does your face look like when you do it? * What does your body posture look like? * What do you tell others about it? * How often do you tell others about it? * What does the expression on bystanders look like when they see you do it? * Have you written about it? * Have you drawn a picture of it? * Have you had it tattooed on your butt? * Do you keep it somewhere in your room? * Do you carry it with you? * How long have you held on to it?

CUT (“TELLS”): x I did not like that. x I hated that. x I thought it was ugly/annoying/stupid/completely pointless. x That was the worst/dumbest thing ever.

REPLACE WITH (“BEHAVIORS THAT SHOW”): * How rarely did you do it? * How often did you avoid it? * What things did you do to avoid doing it? * How much time would you not spend doing it? * How long ago was the last time you did it? * How often/rarely do you still think of it? * What does your face look like when you do it? * What does your body posture look like? * What does the expression on bystanders look like when they see you do it? * What do you tell others about it? * How often/rarely do you tell others about it? * Have you written about it? * Have you drawn a picture of it (with a bloody x through it)? * Have you posted pictures of it? * Have you posted TikToks about it? * Have you had it tattooed on your butt (with a bloody x through it)? * How often have you thrown it away or tried to lose it?