Summary
Highlights
Non-fiction encompasses compositions not based on anecdotal accounts. Creative non-fiction includes history, biography, instructional texts, humor, and philosophical inquiries. Its core is factual information, supported by research, reportage, personal experiences, and presented often in essay formats.
Common literary devices in non-fiction include storytelling, characterization, setting, plot, figurative language, imagery, point of view, dialogue, and theme. These enhance the narrative and engagement.
The five R's are Real life, Reflection, Research, Reading, and Writing. Types of creative non-fiction include personal essays (based on personal experience), memoirs (real story over a period), literary journalism essays (using literary devices for issues), autobiography (writer's life story), travel writing (articles about travel), food writing (stories about food), and profiles (life stories of people).
Theme is the broader message of the story. In informational texts, central ideas are the most essential points the author wants to convey. While sometimes directly stated, central ideas often need to be inferred from the cumulative details of the text, with main ideas of individual paragraphs supporting the overall central idea.
Key techniques involve setting (time, place, context), narrative arc (inciting incident, conflict, climax, resolution), point of view (first, second, third person), character development (through action, dialect, description), vivid description (concrete and specific), use of imagery (literal and figurative), theme (meaning of the story), poetic devices (figurative language, symbolism, sound devices), personal reflection (thoughts, feelings, opinions), word choice (diction, connotation, avoiding clichés), and lyrical language (repetition, parallel structure, rhyme, sensory imagery).