Tell It Slant: Writing and Shaping Creative Nonfiction [Paperback]

Brenda Miller (Author), Suzanne Paola (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0071444947 | ISBN-13: 978-0071444941 | Publication Date: September 16, 2004 | Edition: 1

Creative nonfiction is the fastest-growing segment in the writing market. Yet, the majority of writing guides are geared toward poetry and fiction writers. Tell It Slant fills the gap. Designed for aspiring nonfiction writers, this much-needed reference provides practical guidance, writing exercises, and a detailed discussion of the range of subcategories that make up the genre, including memoir, travel writing, investigative reporting, and more.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Five stars for Tell It Slant ... An enlightening, comprehensive, and very satisfying text on writing and shaping creative nonfiction." -- Sheila Bender, editor and publisher of writingitreal.com and author of Writing and Publishing Personal Essays

When the poet Emily Dickinson wrote, "Tell all the Truth but tell it Slant," she provided today’s writers of creative nonfiction some sound advice: tell the truth but don’t become mere transcribers of day-to-day life. Artistic truth offers a depth and vibrancy that goes beyond the everyday. But how do we, as writers, move beyond cold fact to create elegant nonfiction that makes the most of our individual “slant” on the world we live in?

The award-winning authors of Tell It Slant stretch your writing muscles as they reveal the specialized art of creative nonfiction. Whether you are writing a memoir or researched essays, the authors will guide you along your journey, using intensive instruction and an abundance of writing exercises to show you how to:

• Gain access to your own memories
• Look for material outside of yourself
• Address ethical issues when writing about other people
• Tackle (and enjoy) background research
• Avoid clichés and discover fresh language
• And keep the passion of writing alive

About the Author

Brenda Miller has received four Pushcart Prizes for her work in creative nonfiction. Her essays have twice been selected as Notable Essays by The Best American Essays series, and her collection, Season of the Body, was a finalist for the Pen American Center Award in creative nonfiction. She is an associate professor of English at Western Washington University.

Suzanne Paola is the author of Body Toxic, a New York Times Notable Book and winner of the American Book Award. She was awarded the Brittingham Prize for her third volume of poetry, Bardo.

Product Details

• Paperback: 195 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (September 16, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071444947
• ISBN-13: 978-0071444941
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,116 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth Every Penny, April 7, 2006

By 

C. Farrell (California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tell It Slant: Writing and Shaping Creative Nonfiction (Paperback)

I'm surprised I'm the first person to review this book! Having recently read a half-dozen other titles on the subject, I find myself coming back to this one again and again. If you want to start writing creative nonfiction RIGHT NOW, this is the book for you. It's extremely well-written and accessible.

Each chapter offers plenty of exercises for the individual writer and variations on the exercises for writing groups. All of the various forms of creative nonfiction are explained, as well as the challenges they entail.

The authors divide the book into three major parts focusing on "unearthing" the material, the forms of creative nonfiction, and "honing your craft." They discuss such topics as sentence rhythm, exposition versus scene, the pitfalls of "revenge prose," basics of good writing, mining your memory, and writing groups.

There is a very good bibliography and plenty of brief examples of other writers' work. In short, a wealth of information can be found between the covers of this slim 185-page book. Buy this book before you buy any other book on writing creative nonfiction.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's a great book! See also The Tao of Writing (by me), December 7, 2006

By 

Ralph L. Wahlstrom "writer, teacher - author ... (buffalo) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tell It Slant: Writing and Shaping Creative Nonfiction (Paperback)

I've gone round and round trying to find a reasonably good text for a creative nonfiction course I'm teaching in the spring. Tell It Slant was sitting on my bookshelf, so I picked it up one day. It gets to the point, offers excellent, accessible advice, and allows me to teach writing. For a complete novice, it might be too little, but for an experienced writer and teacher, it's an excellent introduction to creative nonfiction. My sole complaint is that it's overpriced. I suspect that's a result of it's textbook classification, a pet-peeve of mine. Students shouldn't have to pay $40 for a paperback, or for any textbook for that matter.

Even so, that's not the authors' fault, and I highly recommend this book.

Ralph Wahlstrom

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Tell It Slant" is a great learning tool, February 26, 2010

By 

Donald Farr - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tell It Slant: Writing and Shaping Creative Nonfiction (Paperback)

The best way to learn to write well is to read quality writing, and the pieces in "TIS" are very well-written and well-chosen to demonstrate particular elements of good writing.