Non-Fiction

• Autobiography


  An account of a person's life written by that person
• Biography


  An account of someone's life written by another person
• Key Differences between Autobiography and Biography

  • Authorship
  • POV
  • Authorized vs. Unauthorized
  • Degree of Objectivity
• Key Similarities between Autobiography and Biography

  • Primary Purpose
  • Nonfiction
  • Notable Subjects
• Travelogue


  A truthful account of an individual's experiences traveling, usually told in the past tense and in the first person
• Literary journalism


  A form of creative nonfiction that is closely linked to magazine and newspaper writing. It is journalism, but it differs from conventional journalism in that it has a literary element. It is investigative journalism with a twist.
• Literary journalism employs journalistic methods like interviews and reviews to look beyond the straight-forward, factual and objective world that journalism produces
• Literary journalism employs literary techniques to capture the setting/scene of the assignment or the character of the individual being interviewed
• Literary journalism is frequently a highly imaginative story
• Literary journalism pushes the boundaries of what constitutes "objective reality" in order to better represent real life and real people
• Literary journalism claims that people can't be objective because they already have their own subjective views about the world
• Literary journalism stretches the idea of "objective facts" in order to better reflect real life and real people
• Before writing literary journalism

  1. Select a topic of your interest

  2. Conduct a research about your topic

  3. Write a dramatic story that will catch the reader's attention

  4. Include a lead, facts/content, and dramatic ending

  5. Includes scene, place, details, action, and dialogue
• Reflective essay


  An analytical practice in which the writer describes a real scene, event, passing thought, memory, or interaction and adding a personal reflection on the meaning of the incident in his/her life
• A reflective essay is similar to a journal entry only that it requires better coherence, structure, and mechanics
• The writer primarily examines his/her life for him/her to provide a platform to recount a particular life experience and to explore how he/she has changed or learned from the said experience
• Writing a reflective essay

  1. Reflective writing can be presented in various formats, such as a learning log format or diary entry

  2. It should have an interesting introduction, a substantial body, and an effective ending

  3. Study the topic thoroughly and spend a lot of time trying to think about it vividly

  4. Write down everything you can remember about it, describing it as clearly and fully as you can

  5. Use reflection questions to think deeper about the impact and lasting effects of your experience
• Personal narrative


  A written account of a personal experience that tells a story, expresses the writer's feelings using the first-person point of view, and uses narrative techniques such as dialogue, description, and pacing
• Forms of personal narratives

  • Autobiography
  • Memoir
  • Reflective essay
  • Literary journalism
• Autobiography


  A true, self-written life story spanning from birth to the present
• Memoir


  An objective and anecdotal in emphasis, a collection of memories that someone writes about his or her own life, limited to a particular experience or time in one's life
• Reflective essay


  An analysis of a real scene, event, passing thought, memory, or interaction and adding a personal reflection on the meaning of the incident in his/her life, requiring better coherence, structure, and mechanics than a journal entry
• Testimonio


  A first-person narrative of socially significant events in which the narrative voice is that of a typical or extraordinary witness or protagonist who metonymically symbolizes others who have experienced comparable situations but have rarely written about them
• Purpose of writing a testimonio

  • To name injustice and stop it, whether it's bullying, harassment, genocide, racism, classism, or any other form of institutionalized marginalization
  • To advocate for justice in the face of all crimes against humanity
• Characteristics of a testimonio


  • A first-person story of injustice
  • An insistence that the subject's experience is representative of a broader class
  • A resolve to work toward a more fair and just future
• Blog


  A frequently updated web page used for personal commentary or business content, often written in a conversational style to reflect the voice and personal views of the blogger
• Reasons to start a blog

  • Self-improvement and personal development
  • Sense of community
  • Profit
  • Giving something back
• How to write a blog post from start to finish

  1. Start with a title

  2. Write an introduction

  3. Write the body with subheadings

  4. Link out to other people

  5. Write a conclusion

  6. Create backlinks