I never thought that writing creative nonfiction could be so interesting to write. Using figurative language, playing with format, and adding lyrical aspects to the words of an event or subject that may otherwise be ordinary to the average perspective is a really cool concept and I played with that a lot in Hot Comb. I haven’t written a lot of creative nonfiction, but I tend to keep exploring the boundaries of creative nonfiction. Critics would say that creative nonfiction isn’t truly nonfiction because it uses techniques that fiction writers use. However, I don’t believe that’s the case. The truth is still there, it’s just shown in a more creative way. The author gets to decide how to present the truth to their audience, whether it be playing with structure, stringing music through words, cutting an event into parts, etc. It comes down to deciding what’s most appropriate for the truth the writer is reflecting on in the event or subject.
Isioma West 