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sbreadsfantasy's review
4.0
I read excerpts for a creative non-fiction writing course, and finally buckled down and read the entire thing.
Gutkind offers a diverse selection of excerpts from successful CNF writers: Gay Talese, Rebecca Skloot, Jeanette Walls. His breakdown of the techniques used, as well as the history of the genre, are very helpful for both those starting out and those who are already familiar with the writing style.
I am sure I will return to this one again.
Gutkind offers a diverse selection of excerpts from successful CNF writers: Gay Talese, Rebecca Skloot, Jeanette Walls. His breakdown of the techniques used, as well as the history of the genre, are very helpful for both those starting out and those who are already familiar with the writing style.
I am sure I will return to this one again.
indyverse's review
not rating - read for my creative non-fiction class.
but it was actually pretty informative and i'll most likely come back to it
but it was actually pretty informative and i'll most likely come back to it
lory_enterenchanted's review
I read the first half of this and skimmed the rest. Having read an earlier craft book by Gutkind, there wasn't that much new information. He likes to use the same examples (I think I've heard enough about "Frank SInatra Has a Cold").
jmsweevils's review
5.0
Love. Love. Loved this book. I am someone who is interested in exploring writing in a less casual manner, and have narrowed my creative interests to the wide creative non-fiction genre. This book not only prepared me for what creative non-fiction entails, but also many areas that I should consider when preparing to continue my education to learn more about the craft.
liv_davis's review
5.0
I learned so much from this book! Full disclosure- I’m currently taking a creative nonfiction writing class with Lee, so I might be a bit biased, but I thought this book was great. Not only does it teach you how to write creative nonfiction by explaining the genre, but it also tells fun stories and gives exercises for the reader to do to improve their work. I’ll definitely be coming back to this book as I work on my dissertation!
estocchetti's review
3.0
I used this for my Creative Nonfiction Writing class, and it contained useful information about the genre and its basic ideology. It was a little dry, but it was a good introduction into the creative nonfiction genre.
elainarkk's review
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.5
You Can't Make This Stuff Up was the textbook for my university Creative Nonfiction course. While it was certainly helpful in establishing the basics for the genre for someone like me, who had never interacted with CNF on a formal basis, it was also a bit grating. Gutkind's voice comes across bratty and demanding, and, most of all, prideful. He boasts about his prestige in the CNF world a few too many times for my personal preference. Some of his advice seemed a bit bossy or objective, where I think there can be room for the experimental or subjective, even in a genre where the writer should be truthful.
...So while I would never want to meet or talk to Gutkind about CNF, I did find his "guide" helpful.
...So while I would never want to meet or talk to Gutkind about CNF, I did find his "guide" helpful.