9.12 Connecting to felt stories + what is CNF?

For the journal prompt, you began by writing a list of feelings, sensations (tastes, touches, sounds. . ) bodily perceptions.  Psychologists tell us that accessing memories through looking at these nonverbal, felt experiences can allow us to remember and relive experiences that are difficult to approach through words.  You came up with a great list of sensations/feelings - and an awesome set of stories.

In-class writing and sharing stories from your journals is part of a process for creating a reservoir or "treasure chest" of materials that you can dip into as you pursue your writing interests.  The essays you write for this course are not the only or even the most important products of our work together.  The course is designed to set you up with some new approaches to brainstorming (such as tapping into sensual associations and the in tact stories and scenes that often come with them) AND to provide you with friendly support as you write down and explore ideas for your future writing.

We spent the second half of class doing a close analysis of the features of "Some things about that day" and "Out there."  We looked at focus, organization, directness/indirectness, "literaryness," word choices, point of view (always first person) - to mention only some of your good observations.  As we talked - we went back and forth between noticing the particular features of these essays - and naming the general features of creative nonfiction.

I know I promised you that we were going to come up with a kind of description of what CNF was and what it did - and that them we would circle back to the some of the stories you told about memories/experiences associated with sensations - but we didn't quite get there.  That's OK.  Fortunately we have about 14 more classes.

For next class:

Read: Lott & Gutkind on creative nonfiction (handouts in class)

Blog 2:  Use today's class discussion + what you are reading in Lott + Gutkind to develop your definition of creative nonfiction.  Keep working on your list of features you see as "essential" to CNF.  What do Lott & Gutkind leave out of their discussions?  How are definitions of creative nonfiction changing in light of digital publishing?

I will be providing you some feedback on Blog 1 - hopefully before the end of the weekend.  Comments will be sent via email - and you can use them to get a better idea of the expectations for a "good" post.

In class on Wednesday we will  start with journal writing, finish up our discussion of what CNF is, finally get a chance to think about how to turn "stories" into CNF, and finish up with talk about segmented essays.

Have a great weekend.  It is pretty beautiful out there.