Writing True: The Art and Craft of Creative Nonfiction

by
Sondra Perl and Mimi Schwartz
Published in 2014
by Cengage Learning

This comprehensive primer on creative nonfiction writing, now in its second edition, is divided into two parts: “Writing Creative Nonfiction” and “Reading Creative Nonfiction.” The first ten chapters take you through essential elements of the writing process, from notebook jottings to first draft to revision, and cover important considerations such as voice, research, and ethics. The anthology portion explores different forms—memoir, personal essay, portrait, essays about place, narrative journalism, and short shorts—with exemplary writing by authors including Nora Ephron, Pico Iyer, Susan Orlean, George Orwell, Charles Simic, and Alice Walker.