---
title: Creative Non-Fiction
description: Creative non-fiction uses literary techniques to tell true stories. Learners will understand how to research, structure, and write compelling narratives based on real-world events, personal experiences, and factual information.
category: literature-writing
subcategory: creative-writing
difficulty: beginner, intermediate, advanced
url: /subject/creative-non-fiction
---

# Creative Non-Fiction

Creative non-fiction uses literary techniques to tell true stories. Learners will understand how to research, structure, and write compelling narratives based on real-world events, personal experiences, and factual information.

## Available Resources

2 Books • 1 Courses • 3 Websites

## Websites

### 1. Poets & Writers

Hub for creative nonfiction craft essays, author interviews and practical market information: grant and contest deadlines, literary magazine listings, and submission guidance, published by a long-running nonprofit that supports working writers.

**Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://www.pw.org/content/creative_nonfiction

**Tags:** creative-nonfiction, writing-markets, literary-magazines, grants-and-contests, writing-craft

### 2. creativenonfiction.org

creativenonfiction.org is the official hub for the craft of Creative Nonfiction, featuring craft essays, author interviews, and guidance for writers. The site also provides submission guidelines, contests, and publishing opportunities in CNF.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://creativenonfiction.org

**Tags:** websites, humanities-social-sciences, creative-writing

### 3. writersdigest.com

WritersDigest.com is a comprehensive resource for writers, featuring craft articles, writing prompts, market guides, contests, and publishing tips to help aspiring and established authors improve their craft and get published.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://writersdigest.com

**Tags:** websites, personal-development, communication

## Podcasts

### 1. The Creative Nonfiction Podcast

**Author:** Brendan O'Meara

The Creative Nonfiction Podcast with Brendan O'Meara is a weekly podcast that showcases leaders in narrative journalism, essay, memoir, documentary film, radio and podcasts about the art and craft of telling true stories.   Follow the show @creativenonfictionpodcast on Instagram and visit patreon.com/cnfpod to support!

**Difficulty:** Beginner | **Language:** en | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://brendanomeara.com

**Tags:** creative-nonfiction, narrative-journalism, memoir, writing-craft, author-interviews

## Courses

### 1. Creative Nonfiction Writing

Four-module introduction to writing true stories with literary technique: choosing a subject, reporting and organising notes, turning research into narrative, then editing and sustaining a writing practice. Includes graded assignments.

**Difficulty:** Beginner | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://www.coursera.org/learn/creative-nonfiction-write-truth-with-style

**Tags:** courses, humanities-social-sciences, creative-writing

## Books

### 1. Telling True Stories

**Author:** Mark Kramer, Wendy Call

Anthology of short craft pieces drawn from the Nieman Foundation's narrative journalism conference, in which working reporters and authors explain finding subjects, structuring long-form stories, reporting ethics, and selling a first book.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid

**Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0452287553?tag=edmonddante07-20

**Tags:** books, humanities-social-sciences, creative-writing

### 2. You Can’t Make This Stuff Up

**Author:** Lee Gutkind

Guide spanning the range of creative nonfiction, from memoir to literary journalism, with exercises on scene, framing and factual accuracy, plus annotated sample essays by Gay Talese, Rebecca Skloot and others.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid

**Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738215546?tag=edmonddante07-20

**Tags:** books, humanities-social-sciences, creative-writing

---

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