TRANSITIONING from ACADEMIC to CREATIVE NONFICTION WRITING

By Ruth P Saunders

I enjoyed 30 years in academia and produced the expected scientific publications. I liked academic writing, but by retirement four years ago I felt ready to explore more artistic approaches.  One of my retirement goals is to channel my love of writing into creative nonfiction, to explore and reflect on memories in essays and stories. Here are my thoughts about similarities and differences between the two nonfiction styles.

First, some similarities. It is important to know your audience and use clear language as well as appropriate grammar and punctuation. Academic and creative nonfiction pieces need a beginning, middle, and end. Each paragraph conveys a single point, and transition sentences guide the flow of the narrative. A well-written manuscript of either type conveys a clear message. Feedback from peers is essential for effective writing in any context.

Academic and creative nonfiction differ in several ways, as well. In a rather academic fashion, I have categorized these into purpose, audience, structure, content, and language.

Differences between Academic and Creative Nonfiction Writing

	Academic	Creative
Purpose	Advancing scientific knowledge and informing	Personal expression and entertainment
Audience	Professionals within a field of study	Broader audience
Structure	Highly structured by journal-specific publication guidelines	Flexible depending upon purpose, audience and intended outlet
Content	Narrowly focused professional topic describing research methods and results, systematic literature review or professional commentary	Describes author’s perception of a wide range of factual experiences or events
Language	Formal, often containing field-specific jargon and abbreviations; intended to convey an objective perspective	Informal, using simple words that are clear; presumed to convey a subjective perspective

Academic manuscripts are formal in tone and intended to advance scientific knowledge. They are directed at scientists and professionals within specific disciplines using field-specific technical language. The content focuses on a specific topic, builds upon previously reported work, and is presumably guided by scientific methods designed to increase objectivity. Manuscript structure and formatting is prescribed by field-specific academic journals to maintain objectivity and consistency across time. Guidelines include headings for major sections of the document (e.g., Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Conclusions, References) and how to format citations of previous scientific work in the narrative and final reference list.

Creative nonfiction writing is more flexible and less formal. It is subjective, focusing on the author’s experiences and reflections to entertain a more broadly defined audience. The language should not require specialized knowledge to understand, and the structure is simpler and clearer. It should be interesting, meaningful, relevant, and engaging to the reader.

Academic writing is comfortable, and I continue to publish. But I want to reflect upon my life more subjectively, with a hint of humor. I want to honor memories that have shaped the present and share them in meaningful ways. Creative nonfiction writing enables me to do this and helps me grow as a writer and a person.