A versatile and inspiring genre
Creative Non-Fiction (CNF) is one of the most exciting and flexible forms of writing. It brings together a wide range of subgenres - from memoir, autobiography, and personal essays to travel and nature writing - all united by a commitment to telling true stories with creativity and depth.
Life writing: memoir, diaries, and biography
Life writing encompasses letters, diaries, memoirs, and biographies. Michelle Obama’s Becoming is a powerful example of how memoir can resonate globally, while Andre Agassi’s Open shows how celebrity stories, often shaped with the help of ghostwriters, can become bestsellers.
But you don’t need fame to write a compelling memoir. Two of our MSt alumni have reached audiences worldwide with deeply personal stories:
Freya Bromley’s The Tidal Year - exploring grief, swimming, and female friendship.
Jill Damatac’s Dirty Kitchen - weaving together experiences of growing up as an undocumented Filipino American with myth, history, and food.
These works show how memoir often overlaps with other subgenres, enriching the narrative with nature writing, cultural history, or even culinary storytelling.
Beyond memoir: travel, nature, and food writing
Travel and nature writing, narrative history, and food writing are powerful genres in their own right. And they often add depth to life writing. A biography, for example, is incomplete without considering the places, laws, and social attitudes that shaped its subject.
When writing about Piccadilly Circus, I found myself exploring entertainment, art, shopping, women’s rights, queer history, and race, proof that Creative Non-Fiction often becomes a biography of both people and places.
Hybrid approaches and new voices
CNF doesn’t follow one formula. It can be chronological (cradle to grave), or experimental, darting unpredictably across time and theme. Alumni Ellen Atlanta’s Pixel Flesh blends memoir with social commentary, examining beauty standards in the digital age.
Dr Joanne Limburg, a long-time teacher of Creative Non-Fiction, calls herself a “multiple offender” in life writing. Her memoirs, letters to historical figures, and poetry highlight how writers return to true stories in different ways at different stages of life.
Blending genres for greater impact
Modern authors increasingly mix genres, incorporating poetry, fiction, or visual arts into their non-fiction. Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood remains a landmark example: a true crime narrative with the pace of a thriller, vivid settings, and unforgettable characters, all while raising profound questions about humanity.
Truth, ethics, and the writer’s role
At the heart of CNF lies a search for truth. Yet truth is rarely simple. Writers must weigh evidence, interpret facts, and present their perspective with honesty and care.
Authors like Zadie Smith and David Sedaris show how essays can sharpen our view of everyday life, whether through wit, precision, or social insight.
The craft of Creative Non-Fiction
CNF writers face many of the same challenges as novelists:
Captivating descriptions that bring places and people to life.
Strong structure and pacing to keep readers engaged.
Authentic voices that resonate with honesty.
The difference? Non-Fiction writers don’t invent plots. They work with the truth, slippery though it may be, and discover that reality itself often provides the most compelling stories.
Key takeaways
CNF is versatile, and can blend memoir, travel, nature, food, and history.
You don’t need fame to write a powerful memoir. Personal truth resonates universally.
Hybrid approaches enrich storytelling, combining genres for deeper impact.
Truth and ethics are central, even when facts are complex or contested.
The craft demands vivid description, structure, and pace, just like fiction.
Ready to Begin Your Own Creative Non-Fiction Journey?
Discover how to shape true stories with creativity, confidence, and craft. Our Undergraduate Certificate in Creative Writing (Creative Non-Fiction) at Cambridge offers the tools, guidance, and inspiration to help you bring your voice to life. We also offer an Undergraduate Diploma in Creative Writing: Advanced Non-Fiction which is the perfect progression from the certificate. Come along to our creative writing undergraduate open day session to ask our academics any questions you may have.
If you wish to take your creative work to the next level, our Master’s in Creative Writing embodies a new structure, whereby you can choose to join the course in one of four pathways. One of these pathways is Creative Non-Fiction.
Applications for both undergraduate and Master’s level courses are now open.
For a shorter course, you may be interested in our 7-week short online course in Creative Writing: an introduction to non-fiction nature writing, beginning 6 April to 24 May.