Write What You Love…

Creative Non-Fiction

At this point in my life, due to my semi-recent epiphanies drawn by self-discovery, selecting a favorite writing genre is pretty simple. Creative non-fiction has changed my life. When I was a small little girl, scribbling furiously in my journals and attempting to create fantasy worlds of wonder; I failed miserably. The creation of a story untold was an art I never mastered and this skill never developed despite my attention to it. However, I still never stopped narrating. My social skills developed and I quite the “social butterfly” honing my abilities to narrate a story in a way that captured my audience; although it was apparent to me at the time. Despite having a knack for telling the truth in a way that was able to manipulate my audience “just so” in order to get the desired emotion; no one ever made the connection from story teller to writer. As I continued on with my education, never considering writing as a profession, I still craved the center of attention and validation from my narratives. It was not until graduating with an unrelated degree, desperately hating the career that stemmed from it, going back to school for ESL, and moving to Saudi Arabia, that my talent to write a narrative was discovered. From day one of my curriculum development job; I began to realize the value of my ability to tell a story. It was not until I was tasked with all of the press releases, speech writing assignments, and newspaper articles about the department that my employers appreciated my ability to establish to chronicle a tale. Writing press releases and speeches are in some ways creative non-fiction. You must tell the truth; but not “nothing but the truth, so help you God”. It is an absolute must to buff and shine the truth into something that is able to be swallowed by the listeners; something that is relevant to them, something they care about. These works must be just the right amount of motivational, informative, and persuasive. Until I was able to succeed in these tasks; my writing was an unappreciated tool. After a quick search on the internet, I actually did discover my niche and a large market for my skills. It never occurred to me that my desperate need for a voice and a constant desire for an audience would ever amount to much. My pockets are not lined with gold; but I am fulfilled.

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