You Can’t Make This Stuff Up
The Complete Guide to Writing Creative Nonfiction—from Memoir to Literary Journalism and Everything in Between
From rags-to-riches-to-rags tell-alls to personal health sagas to literary journalism everyone seems to want to try their hand at creative nonfiction. Now, Lee Gutkind, the go-to expert for all things creative nonfiction, taps into one of the fastest-growing genres with this new writing guide. Frank and to-the-point, with depth and clarity, Gutkind describes and illustrates each and every aspect of the genre, from defining a concept and establishing a writing process to the final product. Offering new ways of understanding genre and invaluable tools for writers to learn and experiment with, You Can’t Make This Stuff Up allows writers of all skill levels to thoroughly expand and stylize their work.
Reviews
“Reminiscent of Stephen King’s fiction handbook On Writing, the book will be useful to both new writers and seasoned chroniclers seeking a professional refresher course on the basics of content and continuity and on how to expand audience attention for typically esoteric material…An accessible, indispensable nonfiction guidebook from an authority who knows his subject from cover to cover.“
—Kirkus Reviews, 7/15/12
—Booklist, August 2012
—New York Journal of Books, 8/14/12
—The Writer, October 2012
—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 9/30/12
—Bookviews blog, October 2012
“A useful workbook for a specific writing niche, and people wanting to break into the field—especially those parts involving Gutkind himself or influenced by him—would do well to go through the exercises and recommendations in some detail.”
—Infodad.com, 10/4/12
—Library Journal, October 2012
—Internet Review of Books, 10/3/12
—Midwest Book Review, October 2012
—Milwaukee Shepherd Express, 11/19/12
“Memoirists and journalists looking for a fresh approach or a change of pace would do well with You Can’t Make This Stuff Up. Everyone else can enjoy a quick and enjoyable trot through an often maligned but compelling and growing literary genre.”
—Curled Up with a Good Book, 11/16/12
“An informative book that should be on the bookshelf of every writer.”
—The Worlds of R.A. Hortz, 12/10/12
—East Central Illinois News-Gazette, 4/7/13