A Is for Absolute

Draft 1.
The ABCs of Creative Nonfiction -- a series of essays

Are there absolutes in creative nonfiction? Yes, a few. You cannot, for example, say the temperature in a certain place and time was 90 degrees if the recorded fact was 57. (Unless you have reasons to disprove the recorded temperature.)

The concept of "absolute" makes my brain itchy. But I'll keep plowing through on this, because when I thought "In creative nonfiction, A is for . . .," the words that popped up was "absolute." So I decided to Go There.

Must a nonfiction narrative tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? No.

If there are verifiable, empirical facts, they cannot be ignored. Not every fact about a situation, however, needs to be included in a story. [More about "telling details."]

And sometimes, the facts do not convey the truth of an event. Emotions, perceptions, and reactions

[Define facts.]

[Define truth.]

[Find that quote about writing fiction to tell the truth.]

Framing truth with storytelling techniques is the heart of creative nonfiction.