Discovering Creative Nonfiction
In the first chapter of his book Creative Nonfiction: Researching and Crafting Stories of Real Life, Philip Gerard concludes that creative nonfiction is created not from the stories you make up, but from the stories you find out. Additionally, Gerard explains that effective creative nonfiction is, “Captured with a clear eye and an alert imagination, filtered through a mind passionate to know and tell, told accurately and with compelling grace (Gerard, 12).” As a guide toward writing successful creative nonfiction, Gerard explains that a writer’s “first obligation is to tell the truth” (Gerard, 5). As a creative nonfiction writer, Annie Dillard seemed to carefully create “From The Writing Life” with Gerard’s first obligation in mind. For example, in the following quote from Dillard’s piece describing her excursion with geographer, Dick Smith and pilot and geologist, Dave Rahm, Dillard made sure to note that she was unsure of when or who told her the why the mountain was red “Their rock was full of iron, somebody shouted at me then or later; the iron had rusted, so they were red” (Dillard, 215). Additionally, as part of his guide Gerard details the importance of five hallmarks of the genre within his first chapter. Below, these five hallmarks will be explored in reference to their use in Annie Dillard’s “From The Writing Life.”
(1) “It has an apparent subject and a deeper subject” (Gerard, 7).
Although Dillard’s apparent subject was clearly Dave Rahm, a stunt pilot whose work fascinated the author, a “deeper subject” was also present. One of Dillard’s statements lucidly portrayed the deeper subject, “Nothing on earth is more gladdening than knowing we must roll up our sleeves and move back the boundaries of the humanly possible once more” (Dillard, 214).
(2) “Such nonfiction is released from the usual journalistic requirement of timeliness: Long after the apparent subject ceases to be topical, the deeper subject and the art that expresses it remain vital” (Gerard, 8).
Although Dillard first met the apparent subject for her story, stunt pilot Dave Rahm in 1975 and he died in 1976, in the piece Dillard stated, “I have thought about it for years,” in reference to Rahm’s performance at the airshow Dillard attended in 1975 (Dillard, 213). This quote captures the timeless nature of the events that influence successful creative nonfiction as explained by Gerard, “The purported subject of the piece, though it may seem like a target of opportunity, is actually one that has preoccupied the writer for some time” (Gerard, 10).
(3) “Creative nonfiction is narrative, it always tells a good story” (Gerard, 9).
Dillard did an effective job of keeping the reader intrigued by her story. For example, when it seemed she felt as though the reader may be getting distracted from her words, she would introduce something new for the reader to ponder on. On page 214, it was an a swallow, inspired by the air show to flip and loop over the runway. My favorite of Dillard’s remarks of this type (the type that almost seemed unrelated, but was so fascinating I refused to question it) came as she was describing Rahm’s physical appearance while sitting next to him on a plane, “I could not imagine loving him under any circumstance” (Dillard, 217). Additionally, Dillard’s ability to “tell a good story” was obvious when looking at her complex, intriguing, informative metaphors, which added significantly to my ability to comprehend her piece. My favorite was Dillard’s comparison between Rahm’s career as a stunt pilot and Beethoven, “When Rahm flew, he sat down in the middle of art, and strapped himself in. He spun it all around him. He could not see it himself. If he never saw it on film, he never saw it at all -- as if Beethoven could not hear his final symphonies not because he was deaf, but because he was inside the paper on which he wrote” (Dillard, 220).
(4) “Creative nonfiction contains a sense of reflection on the part of the writer” (Gerard, 10).
Gerard explained in reference to hallmark number 4, that in a piece of creative nonfiction, “You’ll see the writer making connections between the subject at hand and books he has read, between history and philosophy and a remark his fifth-grade teacher once made” (Gerard, 10). Dillard did just that, she effectively inserted her voice, her take, her feelings, without taking away from story, actually by adding to it. By stating, “I have thought about it for years,” in reference to Rahm’s air show Dillard attended, she not only made it clear to the reader she was reflected for years on the air show, but she additionally emphasized the lasting impact of the air show in a seven word sentence (Dillard, 213). As a reader, the reflective piece that stood out most to me was Dillard’s thoughts on the gravity boots pilots use at home in order to train, “It must startle a pilot’s children, to run into their father or mother in the course of their home wandering -- the parent handing wide-eyed upside-down in the doorway like a bat” (Dillard, 216).
(5) “Such nonfiction shows serious attention to the craft of writing” (Gerard, 11).
Gerard stated that creative nonfiction goes “beyond the journalistic” in order to craft an accurate, beautiful story (Gerard, 11). Dillard does an effective job of using her immense writing skills to further enhance her story through word choice, rhythmic sentences, and relatable, new metaphors. For example, I was particularly drawn to Dillard’s frequently referenced metaphor comparing Rahm’s flight to a piece of music, “The music had no periods; no rests or endings; the poetry’s beautiful sentence never ended; the line had no finish” (Dillard, 213).
(1) “It has an apparent subject and a deeper subject” (Gerard, 7).
Although Dillard’s apparent subject was clearly Dave Rahm, a stunt pilot whose work fascinated the author, a “deeper subject” was also present. One of Dillard’s statements lucidly portrayed the deeper subject, “Nothing on earth is more gladdening than knowing we must roll up our sleeves and move back the boundaries of the humanly possible once more” (Dillard, 214).
(2) “Such nonfiction is released from the usual journalistic requirement of timeliness: Long after the apparent subject ceases to be topical, the deeper subject and the art that expresses it remain vital” (Gerard, 8).
Although Dillard first met the apparent subject for her story, stunt pilot Dave Rahm in 1975 and he died in 1976, in the piece Dillard stated, “I have thought about it for years,” in reference to Rahm’s performance at the airshow Dillard attended in 1975 (Dillard, 213). This quote captures the timeless nature of the events that influence successful creative nonfiction as explained by Gerard, “The purported subject of the piece, though it may seem like a target of opportunity, is actually one that has preoccupied the writer for some time” (Gerard, 10).
(3) “Creative nonfiction is narrative, it always tells a good story” (Gerard, 9).
Dillard did an effective job of keeping the reader intrigued by her story. For example, when it seemed she felt as though the reader may be getting distracted from her words, she would introduce something new for the reader to ponder on. On page 214, it was an a swallow, inspired by the air show to flip and loop over the runway. My favorite of Dillard’s remarks of this type (the type that almost seemed unrelated, but was so fascinating I refused to question it) came as she was describing Rahm’s physical appearance while sitting next to him on a plane, “I could not imagine loving him under any circumstance” (Dillard, 217). Additionally, Dillard’s ability to “tell a good story” was obvious when looking at her complex, intriguing, informative metaphors, which added significantly to my ability to comprehend her piece. My favorite was Dillard’s comparison between Rahm’s career as a stunt pilot and Beethoven, “When Rahm flew, he sat down in the middle of art, and strapped himself in. He spun it all around him. He could not see it himself. If he never saw it on film, he never saw it at all -- as if Beethoven could not hear his final symphonies not because he was deaf, but because he was inside the paper on which he wrote” (Dillard, 220).
(4) “Creative nonfiction contains a sense of reflection on the part of the writer” (Gerard, 10).
Gerard explained in reference to hallmark number 4, that in a piece of creative nonfiction, “You’ll see the writer making connections between the subject at hand and books he has read, between history and philosophy and a remark his fifth-grade teacher once made” (Gerard, 10). Dillard did just that, she effectively inserted her voice, her take, her feelings, without taking away from story, actually by adding to it. By stating, “I have thought about it for years,” in reference to Rahm’s air show Dillard attended, she not only made it clear to the reader she was reflected for years on the air show, but she additionally emphasized the lasting impact of the air show in a seven word sentence (Dillard, 213). As a reader, the reflective piece that stood out most to me was Dillard’s thoughts on the gravity boots pilots use at home in order to train, “It must startle a pilot’s children, to run into their father or mother in the course of their home wandering -- the parent handing wide-eyed upside-down in the doorway like a bat” (Dillard, 216).
(5) “Such nonfiction shows serious attention to the craft of writing” (Gerard, 11).
Gerard stated that creative nonfiction goes “beyond the journalistic” in order to craft an accurate, beautiful story (Gerard, 11). Dillard does an effective job of using her immense writing skills to further enhance her story through word choice, rhythmic sentences, and relatable, new metaphors. For example, I was particularly drawn to Dillard’s frequently referenced metaphor comparing Rahm’s flight to a piece of music, “The music had no periods; no rests or endings; the poetry’s beautiful sentence never ended; the line had no finish” (Dillard, 213).
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