Creative Non-fiction workshop by Gregory Freeman

A Georgia Writer's Association sponsored workshop. This one was outstanding. Freeman obviously knows his genre. He has written two books, Sailors to the End (about the USS Forrestal), and Lay This Body Down (about a peonage plantation and the murders associated with it). I haven't read either of them, but after this workshop I am going to get them and read them.

Some tidbits from the notes I took:

• Creative non-fiction is a true story, well told.


• It uses creative styles more common to fiction


• Strong characters - characters are everything for a story like this. A lot of reasearch is needed! Difficult to write the story until the research is done.


• Tell the story in a dramatic way.


• The fact that the story is true does not change your obligation to tell it in a dramatic way.


• Use these techniques:




• dramatic opening


• abundant use of involving scenes shaped from true material


• abundant use of dialog drawn from actual dialog


• a strong finish

He also strongly feels that you are writing a true story, and should not make things up just because you need it. Don't invent characters and scenes.

He references heavily, preferring endnotes. He wants to reader to have faith in him as a writer that he is telling the truth.

So it was a very impressive workshop. Don't know if I will ever write a creative non-fiction book, since I am so involved with short stories and novels. The amount of research needed is so intimidating! I don't think I could ever write one that involved so many interviews of living characters.