Harness the Power of Storytelling with Writing Creative Non-Fiction

While it may be a popular belief that fiction is the most captivating form of writing, it’s not uncommon for non-fiction work to be inventive and creative.

By bridging the gap between reality and imagination, creative non-fiction allows writers to blend the authenticity of fact with the creativity of fiction to develop narratives that are both informative and captivating. Creative non-fiction comes in many forms—including memoirs, life-writing, personal stories, and lyric essays—all of which are explored in Writing Creative Non-Fiction, part of the Creative Writing Certificate.

The course is taught by Sahar Golshan, an award-winning published writer with more than 10 years of teaching and facilitation experience. Her secret to success? Workshopping your writing with others.

“One of the main benefits of the course is the amount of time spent workshopping your writing,” says Golshan. “A strong creative writing class is intentionally designed to make workshopping a respectful and reciprocal experience. I like to frame the creative writing classroom as a community of writers who are rooting for each other’s success.”

Having a supportive environment throughout the workshopping process is crucial, especially for new writers.

“Stepping into a writing workshop, especially for the first time, can be a daunting experience. But it’s important to remember that during a workshop, the focus is on the writing itself, not the writer’s experience,” explains Golshan. “Feedback is information, not definition, and your peers will provide feedback that highlights what’s already effective in your work and suggest areas for improvements.”

Although a large part of creative writing is indeed the writing, emphasis is also placed on reading a variety of published creative non-fiction work as it relates to weekly course topics.

“About twice a semester, a published writer of creative non-fiction joins the class to answer student questions,” says Golshan. “Their writing is part of the syllabus, so it’s a great way to expand on what we’re learning by getting to connect with the writer directly.”

Join Writing Creative Non-Fiction and learn how to discover and tell the story of your life.