Creative Nonfiction

Quarter I- Module
III/Week III

Department of Education
SDO- City of San Fernando (LU)
Region 1
 What I Need to Know
How many times you wished you could upgrade your writing skills?
Did you wish you could be more enticing with the use of words?

Creative Nonfiction Module aims to guide students to become multi-skilled in different

methods of learning and be flexible under different communication circumstances specifically
with a 21st century learner. It is rich in strategies that improve effective communication,
develop listening and speaking skills in any situation, and a expand towards honing their
leadership skills to help them become self-directed and creative in problem-solving.
Creative Nonfiction Module attains all the competencies outlined in the K to 12 Curriculum,
under the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELCs) prescribed by the Department of
Education. Each lesson is packed with varied strategies and activities and applies different
instructional approaches to ensure that lifelong learning is achieved.

What’s In
Several situations in our lives may be similar to others, but are totally different

What’s New
.

Narrative nonfiction, also known as creative nonfiction, blends literary elements

commonly found in fictional narratives and reflective nonfiction. This genre describes factual,
real-life incidents in a vivid and engaging manner that is typically found in a narrative.

What Is It
MEETING THE ELEMENTS (Part 1)
Writers of narrative nonfiction blend elements of narration such as plot, pacing, and
point of view with various forms of nonfiction, such as the personal essay or memoir. For
example, in a personal essay, while the information is based on real events, authors may offer
their own thoughts and reflections on the factual details explored in the essay. If a writer blends
such reflective nonfiction within a narrative structure, the result is narrative nonfiction.
(www.rcs.k12.al.us)

PLOT
The plot of a narrative nonfiction work may follow the structure of a fictional
novel, starting with the element of exposition and moving on to rising action, climax,
falling action, and resolution. This narrative structure allows the writer to bring
cohesion and resolution to real-life events that may not have been so clearly defined.

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 Study the diagram below.

https://www.liceopasteur.edu.it/wp-content/uploads/2017

The exposition is the introduction to a story, including the primary characters'

names, setting, mood, and time.
The rising action of the story is all of the events that lead to the eventual
climax, including character development and events that create suspense.
The climax is the most exciting point of the story, and is a turning point for
the plot or goals of the main character.
The falling action is everything that happens as a result of the climax,
including wrapping-up of plot points, questions being answered, and character
development.
The resolution is not always happy, but it does complete the story. It can leave
a reader with questions, answers, frustration, or satisfaction.

Although Creative Nonfiction follows the plot format of Fiction, always remember that it
contains facts and not merely things that are made-up. Study the article that follows.

La Union Memoir

Bacnotan, La Union, Summer of 1990.

For the first time in my college life, I was allowed to spend a week-vacation in the company of
my female best friend E. She invited me to visit her parents and siblings whom she had not seen
in years. It was a happy reunion between E and her family. The family members are innately
quiet people, but very accommodating so I easily get along with them.

My friend and I spend our free time hiking and swimming with her cousins. They taught me
some basic climbing technique, but I guess I wasn’t able to apply them properly because of

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exhaustion. We went swimming in one of the rocky beaches in Bacnotan. It was probably one
of the “undiscovered” beaches during those times. The water was pristine, but the rocks were
deadly. One missed step and you’ll surely sustain cuts on your feet. Good thing I have thick
calluses on my heels.

I really missed Bacnotan and I’ll probably visit the place when my best friend would invite me
over again…Sadly, I haven’t seen E in two decades now.

http://www.travelandmusings.com/la-union-memoir
Exposition – introduction of the place and time

Rising action – statement of having allowed to spend a week-long vacation

Climax – enumerating the experiences

Falling action – missing the place

Resolution – having not seen the friend for two decades

The example you have read is just one short simple article. Normally, a nonfiction article is
written in several paragraphs and may take pages

Take note also of the use of sensory images in the article such as exhaustion, rocky, prestine,
and deadly.

CHARACTERIZATION
Read the following sentences:
1. He was 52 years old, 6’4”, with hunched shoulders and a receding hairline.

2. When he walked into any room, he had to duck lest his bare scalp hit the door frame.
Four decades of this practice had given him a permanent hunch, as though he were
afraid of the air above him.

Description is telling the reader what someone looks like. Characterization means
creating a hologram of a person in your reader’s mind. In nonfiction, your ‘characters’ are
real people. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage over fiction: You can’t invent details,
but you have real-world experience with the person, so it’s a matter of capturing their
distinctive traits and evoking them accurately—or at least, accurately according to your
perception (more on that in a moment).
Instead of telling us “She was angry,” show us what she did that led you to that
interpretation. Did she shout? Clenched her fist? Uttered hateful words?
https://www.sarahchauncey.com/characterization-real-people

Example 1:

Kim Seokjin turned out to be an almost perfect face scientifically. His face is not
only symmetrical, but has the optimal proportions of the mouth, eyes, chin, and

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forehead. His face is symmetrical and perfectly oval. The ears fit precisely within the
middle third of his face. The space between his eyes is equal to the width of one eye.
The edges of his nose line up with the inside corners of the eyes. His front left, and right
nose sides, take equal space.

https://www.kpoppost.com/bts-jin-perfect-face-the-worlds-most-perfect-male-face

Example 2:

Throughout her career as a broadcast journalist, Jessica Soho is used to telling

stories about people from all walks of life. Heads of state. Beggars on the street. Indicted
politicians. Champion athletes. Victims of calamities. And people who overcome
improbable odds.

Given the numerous awards she has received over the years, many people would
consider Jessica to be an exceptional storyteller. While she often tells stories about
others, it is not often that she shares stories about her personal life.

“I am mindful that the story should always be about the people and events I
cover — not the person covering them,” says Jessica, who recently steered her multi-
awarded weekly magazine show, Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho (KMJS), to its 10th year on
GMA 7.

https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2014/11/21/1394051/treasures-jessica-soho

EXAMPLE 3:

We became friends since we were in grade three. I never thought that we would
still be friends after years gone by. We shared our secrets and problems that we have.
Sometimes we had some arguments, but I know that it was part of our friendship. She
was my inspiration when it comes to her persistence in schooling when she was in her
secondary and college level. She was always there to give advice when I had problems
about my family and studies. I really loved her words of wisdom because they gave me
hope and courage to solve my problems. She always showed me that she was concerned
in my life and she always told me that "you will never learn everything unless you
cannot experience hardship." She is simple that's why our friendship remained happy.

Her name is Mishael Doce. She is 23 years old. She is morena, she is chubby,
but her body has a shape that's why she is sexy. She has a small face that consists of
medium sharp nose, pouty lips and beautiful eyes. She always wears dress because it
gives her more confidence when she walks or when she is in a gathering. Her height is
just like me and I don't want to mention it (lol). I really like her legs because her calves
are small. She likes accessories such as earrings, rings, and necklaces.

http://marellacequena.blogspot.com/2011/10/my-best-friendmy-mentor-character.html

EXAMPLE 4

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 He liked simple food and expected dinengdeng or pakbet for every meal. He ate
breakfast the “Ortega Style” which is having rice, mixed with eggs either sunny side up
or scrambled, and tuyo but already deboned, or any meat dish like tapa or longaniza. I
grew up just having Milo or carabao milk with one pan de sal with butter and cheese or
bacon and ham for breakfast. I have not succumbed to the “Ortega style” of breakfast,
but now only go for simple food like dinengdeng and pakbet and fish. In fact, I believe
our good health is due to the fact that we eat simply but we have the kitchen staff market
daily, so that we do not eat refrigerated food, if possible.
He will not let a visitor, especially from the far-flung barangays, to leave and not
join us for lunch. Our ancestral home has the gate open from seven in the morning to
seven in the evening seven days a week and anyone who visits us is welcome to join us
for an Ilocano lunch. We have three long tables at home, one for 20 persons, the other
for 12, and the third for 10. Everyone is welcome and if the food at our kitchen is not
enough, one telephone call to a nearby restaurant and we have enough to share with
each one. Food is not fancy. Table setting simple. You are allowed to dunk into our
demitasse filled with chocolate espeso or thick chocolate, and after lunch, we serve
coffee: decaffeinated, espresso, cappuccino, or macchiato. We have learned to be
relaxed as we entertain our friends.
He does one thing at a time, while I do multi-tasking. He has a very photographic
memory of things that interest him and would remember actors and actresses of the
movies he liked, the songs of Frank Sinatra and the “pack” of Dean Martin and Sammy
Davis, of Jo Stafford, Doris Day, and Patti Page, and so he likes to listen to Mr. Love
aired over DZMM. He was taught Japanese song when he was nine years old and up to
this day, he can sing it. I love classical music and he is not an enthusiastic fan but would
humor me and listen to a concert that I would organize.
He is usually quiet while I am the talkative one but put him on stage, and once he
has a microphone, I have to touch my hair to remind him that he has been delivering a
speech for quite some time. At night, he would tell me, “Thank you for reminding me
but when I see the animated faces of the audience, I forget about the time, and I am
encouraged to continue sharing my thoughts with them.” It was his idea to make me his
stopwatch.

(Excerpt) Seasons of Life: Abel iti Biag ni Victor by Mary Jane C. Ortega, 2014

POINT OF VIEW

Point of view is the perspective from which a speaker or writer recounts a

narrative or presents information. Also known as a viewpoint.

Depending on the topic, purpose, and audience, writers of nonfiction may rely
on the first-person point of view (I, we), the second-person (you, your, you're), or
the third-person (he, she, it, they).

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 Author Lee Gutkind points out that point of view is "innately tied to voice, and
a strong, well-executed point of view will also lead to a strong voice" (Keep It Real,
2008).

Let us take example number 3 in Characterization. Observe the First Person Point of
View used by the author (the author uses first person pronouns).

We became friends since we were in grade three. I never thought that we would
still be friends after years gone by. We shared our secrets and problems that we have.
Sometimes we had some arguments, but I know that it was part of our friendship. She
was my inspiration when it comes to her persistence in schooling when she was in her
secondary and college level. She was always there to give advice when I had problems
about my family and studies. I really loved her words of wisdom because they gave me
hope and courage to solve my problems. She always showed me that she was concerned
in my life and she always told me that "you will never learn everything unless you
cannot experience hardship." She is simple that's why our friendship remained happy.

Her name is Mishael Doce. She is 23 years old. She is morena, she is chubby,
but her body has a shape that's why she is sexy. She has a small face that consists of
medium sharp nose, pouty lips and beautiful eyes. She always wears dress because it
gives her more confidence when she walks or when she is in a gathering. Her height is
just like me and I don't want to mention it (lol). I really like her legs because her calves
are small. She likes accessories such as earrings, rings, and necklaces.
ANGLE
Angle is the way you write your own article about a certain topic different from
the way other authors write about it.
Look back at Example number 3 in Characterization. The article talked about
friendship. However, it is different from the way other authors write about friendship.

Example 1:

When I was nine, I had a friend with the unusual name of Westa Joy. I can still
picture her wild, naturally curly hair; her porcelain skin; and her sparkling hazel eyes.
I, on the other hand, was overweight and shy. We used to walk laughing and holding
hands down a sandy dirt road in southeastern New Mexico. She would tell me the plot
of the latest Nancy Drew book she was reading. I had never read a book, and I didn’t
want to. Reading was much too difficult for me because I was dyslexic. But thanks to
Westa’s storytelling, I eventually bought all the Nancy Drew books. Thank you, my
dear childhood friend, for giving me the joy of reading. Essie Bowden, North
Kingstown, Rhode Island
https://www.rd.com/article/stories-of-friendship

Example 2:

Let’s talk about friendship. I’m not talking about childhood friends, classmates
or the casual friends you have at your workplace. I am talking about friends that become

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your family, that help build your dreams, and pick you back up again and again wherever
you end up in life. Today, I am incredibly blessed with beautiful friendships, even though
I am not the most sociable person since my days as a kid (due to my shyness and constant
“on-the-move” childhood). Real friends do not just bring fun or muse to your life. Real
friends can also bring love, romance (the platonic kind of romance), passion and a deep
sense of fulfillment as you grow older together. I don’t believe in a life without
friendships, as much as I don’t believe in a life without love.
Since we met 7 years ago, she has witnessed me going through heartbreaks,
disappointments, starting my businesses, rising to success, failing again and again,
getting dumped, getting married, and becoming a mother. She even helped me babysit
my baby when he was barely a few weeks old, despite never holding a baby before. Not
once did she leave my side, except for the time she left for studies in Australia a few
years ago. I almost thought our journey together would separate from there. But she
came back and was in no time back to my side both as a friend and a co-worker. Her
loyalty and support has taught me a lot about friendship. Unlike the friendships I have
had in my past that was mostly during fun, peaceful and happy times, this time, I am
blessed with her friendship and support through the rollercoaster years of being a
struggling entrepreneur. It made me a better friend too. Despite being much older than
her, I realized I should never lecture her or convince her to do what I think is “right” just
because I am older or know “better”. I just stay by her side and make sure she has my
support through her ups and downs, her mistakes, her losses and her wins. Sometimes I
do feel the urge to stop her from making the same mistakes I have made in my past to
avoid getting hurt. But being a friend does not mean you stop each other from making
mistakes. It means you are there for each other when the other person makes mistakes,
falls down, and make sure you help them get back up again and learn from their own
lessons. It’s the same space and respect she has given me too. No matter what my crazy
idea or dream was, if I believed in it, she would back me up 100% and support me with
bringing those ideas and dreams to life, never once questioning my ability or intention.
https://daochianh.blog/the-story-about-my-special-friend-b19389c358e0

Example 3

Paula and I met in the first grade. Since her last name was Brent and mine was
Berneathy, she sat behind me. We were both shy and had nothing to say to each other
until the day she asked to borrow my ruler.
We lived in a small town in southern Oklahoma where money was scarce, and
my six-inch red plastic ruler was a valued possession. Reluctantly, I loaned it to Paula-
-and she kept it for too long, or so it seemed to me. I turned around to take it back, but
Paula wasn't through with it. I grabbed, she held on...the ruler broke.
I cried. She cried. I blamed her, and she blamed me.
And, in the manner of six-year olds, from that day forward, we were inseparable,
the best of friends.
As the years passed, we spent many nights at each other's houses, whispering
the night away about our plans for the future. We were going to move to a big city and
be room-mates in a gorgeous apartment. I would be a writer, and she would be an artist.
She would illustrate my books, and we would both be rich and famous. When we were

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older, probably around twenty-five, we would marry and live next door to each other
and be aunt to each other's children.
When we were ten years old, we saw an episode of "Lassie" in which Timmy
and his friend pricked their fingers and became blood brothers. Paula came home with
me the next evening. We dug a hole in the hard earth out behind my family's weathered
old barn, took a thorn from the locust tree and pricked our thumbs, joining our blood.
We buried the thorn, each adding an item we prized, as the friends on "Lassie" had
done. Paula contributed her dime-store set of water colors, and I added a paper back
book. Our most valuable possessions--but not as valuable as our friendship.
Then life intruded. When we were fourteen, Paula's father took a job in Dallas.
Their last stop on the way out of town was my house. I stood in middle of the dirt road,
waving and crying while Paula looked out the back window of the car, waving and
crying.
Still we stayed in touch, writing letters regularly. Still we planned. As we neared
high school graduation, we swore that we'd move to Oklahoma City and get that
apartment together.
But Paula got married and had a baby. I married, too, and convinced my husband
to move to Dallas. For years our friendship continued even though our dreams had fallen
by the wayside. Paula became a nurse, and I a legal secretary. I wrote short stories and
poems and shared them with her, and she painted me a picture of the old barn where
our thorn lay buried.
The years flew by. Then while we were both going through divorces, during the
confusion and turmoil, we lost touch. Paula moved, changed jobs, remarried, got a new
name and phone number.
I remarried and moved to Kansas City, but I didn't know how to reach Paula to
tell her. When my new husband and I bought a house, I hung her picture of our barn
over my bed and wondered if I'd ever again see her. Her parents were both dead, and
my mother was becoming senile, rarely remembering my phone number or address.
Short of hiring a detective, I didn't know how I would ever find my friend again.
Often I looked at the picture, thought of my friend and wondered if I'd ever see
her again.
But behind the scenes, the magic spell of that thorn was working. Our childish
sacrifices of prized possessions must have touched some angel's heart.
Several years later I got a phone call and heard a familiar voice.
"Do you know who this is?"
Of course I knew. I cried. She cried.
She told me that she'd called my mother twice and been given wrong phone
numbers both times. She'd almost given up, but decided to try one more time...and
caught my mother in a rare moment of lucidity.
Now Paula's back in Oklahoma, and I live in Missouri. We see each other every
summer and call each other regularly.
During the years we'd lost touch, she had another, unexpected, child...a girl,
named after me.
A girl who calls me "Aunt."
https://www.sallyberneathy.com/Friendship.aspx

EXAMPLE 4

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 Over time, we forged a unique, intergenerational friendship that made the years
between us disappear. As a second act in her career, Dr. Rita Dunn became an
inspiring, internationally renowned professor of higher education; prolific author of
more than three hundred articles, book chapters, monographs, and research papers;
and authority (and missionary) on using individual learning styles to improve
teaching. During that second career, the working wife and mother mentored more than
160 doctoral students, many of whom now occupy positions of leadership in their own
right.

By any measure, she was an extraordinary woman with whom I was fortunate
to have had an exceptional relationship. Although we weren’t in constant contact over
the years, we stayed connected through periodic notes to each other and emails,
punctuated by occasional visits. More than that, we just “clicked.” I understood her
and she “got” me. As she passionately blazed her way through the various phases of
womanhood, I depended on her for advice (which she was never short of) and wisdom
to ease the bumps for me. We celebrated our remarkable friendship with a champagne
toast when I took her to lunch for her 80th birthday last May.

https://www.thefriendshipblog.com/losing-best-friend-friendship-day-august-2-2009

What’s More
Read and follow the instructions carefully. Write your output on the space in a long
bond paper with the format as indicated below.

INSTRUCTIONS:
Paragraph 1
On your first sentence, identify and describe the most memorable place you have ever
visited. In the next sentence, provide why and when you went there.

Paragraph 2
In not more than three sentences, describe the people, events, and things that made the
place most memorable to you.

Paragraph 3
In a sentence, describe what you felt when you were about to leave the place. When
was the second time you went to that place? Do you have plans of visiting it again?

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What I Have Learned

How important are the elements in creating a piece of nonfiction?

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What I Can Do

Read the instructions carefully and do as directed in a long bond paper.

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Think of the person, not a relative of yours, whom you think you share
deep friendship with.
2. In a simple essay, talk about that person and why you think of him/her
as such.
3. Consider talking about the situation that made you realize you like
him/her.
4. Remember to use the first-person Point of View

MY JIGSAW PIECE

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