fiction: “Declaration” (950 words) was sent to Andromeda Spaceways.
creative nonfiction: “Blood Under My Fingernails” (2,080 words) was sent to Nashville Review.
I don’t think the SOA Spec Fiction Contest will be doing anything for another year or so. I have several prize-winning stories in those contests over the years. But haven’t entered since… let me think… 2015 maybe?
What is creative nonfiction?
A non-fiction story, probably. I consider it creative non-fiction every time i write up a report of an interview. I like to draw a picture of the person.
As distinct from writing a memo that says, “i recommend we change our model in the following way for these reasons.”
I believe it’s a type of nonfiction that is distinct because it is written to be entertaining, while still factual. Like if you were relaying a story to someone of something that happened to you, you’d emphasize certain aspects, use interesting phrasing, try to make it lively. Contrast that with something like the front page of the newspaper. Its purpose is to be factual and as succinct as the reader wants it to be; if you stop reading after the first or second paragraph, you’d have at least 90% of the necessary information.
A lot of memoirs or essays are creative nonfiction. The purpose is as much in how the story is told as what the story is about.
Does it have anything to do with “alternative facts”?
That’s nonfiction
There’s a new Kevin James movie out on Netflix!
Halfway through it.
https://creativenonfiction.org/
It’s a type of narrative that isn’t really article (here’s a thesis, here are points to support it), it isn’t review, it’s more like a dramatic retelling of something that happened.
“Blood Under My Fingernails” was written as a reaction to the experience of scattering my wife’s ashes on the beach in Hawai’i, and finding the dust under my fingernails afterwards. What was that dust? Blood, and bone, and sinew, etc. It’s not exactly narrative (this happened, then that happened, then the other thing), but there are narrative bits in it. It’s not only personal reflection, though there are personal reflections in it.
I brought a camp stove so we could have fish and chips while ice fishing yesterday.
Didn’t catch anything?
no fish, no covid.
Buddy caught a few small ones. I told him that they were embarrassing, throw them back.
How did you randomly choose them?
Posted on reddit, first four to dm me.
I guess that’s not random.
fifth one’s friends told them they avoided abduction and being disposed of in a hole in the ice.
Pace yourself lady! Maybe watch it in short increments
I cracked a joke about going swimming or something. Humour didn’t come through I guess, since one of them actually brought a change in clothes with the intention of going for a polar swim.
Were they from Finland?
Tunisia actually. So, no concept of what was going on.
All 4 were from Tunisia? That sure doesn’t seem random.
