How Writing Creative Nonfiction Can Help You Be a Better Writer

I’ve read advice of many writers who recommend writing creative nonfiction as a way to boost your writing skills. Their advice was music to my ears, so I jumped on it without hesitation and started incorporating creative nonfiction into my writing routine.

In creative writing, creative nonfiction encompasses any work based on factual information. It can be a personal story, a memoir, nature writing, and literary journalism, written with a creative flair. What sets a creative nonfiction piece apart is that there is no fiction. Everything you write, whether it’s a personal account from your life or your life experience is genuine and authentic.

As a writer, one of my goals is to become a better storyteller. And as I was writing articles in my niche, I realized I could bring my writing to the next level by weaving some creative elements into my stories. And now as I’m getting more and more drawn to creative nonfiction, I’m exploring different ways I can express myself. I want to be able to use a variety of methods of storytelling so I can be a better writer and a better storyteller.

I know that when it comes to improving in writing, there are no shortcuts. With that said, to hone my skills, I committed myself to writing one nonfiction piece a week. And since I started doing it, I realized it was the way to go. Not only did it boost my writing skills, but it also helped me to find my writing voice.

Any type of writer can benefit from writing creative nonfiction. Many writers underestimate the value of creative nonfiction and the benefits it can afford. Some think that if they just stuck to their one niche, they’d be a successful writer. I don’t have anything against that. But, if you’re a writer who mostly writes self-improvement articles, once in a while, stepping out of your comfort zone and writing creative nonfiction will help you elevate your writing tremendously.

Let’s dive into the benefits of creative nonfiction writing.

It boosts your imagination

When you engage in creative nonfiction writing, you’re shifting your mind towards more “thinking outside the box.” It helps you to approach your life and seek creative solutions to problems. If you’re a scientist or a businessperson, creative writing could help you stretch your boundaries by giving you the imagination boost.

Having a rich imagination also helps you be a better storyteller. Writing creative nonfiction can help you hone your abilities to tell a story. And the best way to grab readers’ attention is to tell a story in such an imaginative and compelling way that your readers can’t get their eyes off your work. The more colorful and vivid your story is, the better you can capture their attention.

It boosts your artistic self-expression

Writing creative nonfiction fosters artistic self-expression. When you express yourself in any creative form — art, music, or writing — you’re connecting your thoughts and emotions with words. Writing your thoughts on paper can help transform intangible feelings into tangible form — in the form of words. In the process, you learn how to make sense of your thoughts and feelings and express yourself in a variety of ways. And the more versatile your tools for self-expression, the better your stories will become. When I write, I experiment with different word structures and style to help me craft better stories.

“I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see, and what it means. What I want and what I fear.”

― Joan Didion

It can be a form of therapy

Every time I write or play the piano, I get a fresh dopamine release in my brain. That’s because music is known to have a positive effect on the brain, and so is writing. Music, writing, dancing, and art, among others have the power to transform your emotions from negative to positive.

Writing about your feelings is liberating. If you’ve experienced trauma or stress in your personal life, writing can be a form of therapy and help you unleash your emotions through writing. Expressing yourself through writing can help you to comb through negative emotions and make sense of them. According to experts, artistic self-expression “might contribute to maintenance or reconstruction of a positive identity” for individuals who deal with different kinds of trauma. Getting your feelings off your chest can help you feel more positive.

Another study also showed that expressive writing can lead to better mental, emotional, and physical health. When you put your thoughts on paper, not only do you make sense of your emotions, you’re also able to constructively work through them. People who effectively express their emotions through writing can lower their stress levels as well as prevent illnesses.

The bottom line

Creative nonfiction writing is a form of artistic self-expression that offers a lot of benefits. It’s one of the great ways to hone your writing skills and become a better storyteller. Even if you’re not a writer, you can still benefit from creative nonfiction. It can boost your imagination, increase your problem-solving skills, foster artistic self-expression, and add a therapeutic value to your life.