Tell It Slant: Creating, Refining, and Publishing Creative Nonfiction

by Brenda Miller, Suzanne Paola

Two award-winning authors reveal everything you need to know to develop your own distinctive voice and craft compelling, creative nonfiction
"Tell all the Truth but tell it Slant."
--Emily Dickinson

With these words, Dickinson offers sound advice for nonfiction Tell the truth but become more than mere transcribers of daily life. Since 2003, Tell It Slant has set the standard for creative nonfiction instruction, showing writers how to move beyond mere facts and, instead, make the most of their own "slant" on the world. This revised and updated third edition

- New and expanded chapters on writing about identity, maintaining a productive work/life balance, and navigating the publishing industry
- An anthology with diverse pieces that range from traditional essay to the graphic memoir
- Expanded discussion of contemporary and emerging literary forms
- New "Try It" writing exercises throughout the book

Whether planning a course or learning on your own, Tell It Slant provides everything you need to know to develop a distinctive voice and to craft compelling creative nonfiction. This book provides the basis for a complete education in nonfiction writing, wherever your classroom might be.

"Tell It Slant is a valuable and comprehensive resource for nonfiction writers, filled with exhilarating examples, powerful exercises, and pure inspiration. Miller and Paola are gifted teachers and writers with endless wisdom to share and a lovely way of sharing it with struggling writers at every level."
--Dinty W. Moore, author of The Mindful Noble Truths of the Writing Life

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Memoir, Crafts, School, Teaching, Education

336 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2003

About the author

Brenda Miller is the author of Season of the Body and co-author of Tell it Slant: Writing and Shaping Creative Nonfiction Her newest collection of essays, Blessing of the Animals, is forthcoming from Eastern Washington University Press. Her work has received five Pushcart Prizes and has been published in many journals, including Fourth Genre, Creative Nonfiction, The Sun, Utne Reader, The Georgia Review, and The Missouri Review.

She currently lives in Bellingham, WA, with her dog Abbe and her cat Madrona, both of whom are acting as muses for her next book, where she is an Associate Professor of English at Western Washington University and serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Bellingham Review.

Reviews

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book, and if you look for it, try for the earlier edition with the anthology in the back. The most recent edition took the essays out and that makes no sense. Why read about how to write creative nonfiction and not immediately have an example?

At this point I have read most of the book in a class I am auditing, and need to return it to the library I borrowed it from. I will be on the hunt for my own copy because this is a keeper, and I can see myself returning to it for a refresher and new ideas.

The most useful chapter for me this time around was the one about how to write about family. Great advice, practical suggestions I could make use of right away.

I'm going to put all my marks behind a spoiler tag.

"When you set about writing creative nonfiction... you must bring to this endeavor a strong voice and a singular vision. This voice must be loud enough, and interesting enough, to be heard among the noise coming at us in everyday life. If you succeed, you'll find yourself in a close, if not intimate, relationship with the reader, a relationship that demands honesty and a willingness to risk a kind of exposure you may never chance in face-to-face encounters."

"...You might consider how you can approach the big issues by focusing on the smallest details." (from chapter 4: Writing the Family)

With family, think of self as biographer rather than autobiographer, to create distance.

"Write humor out of your bad experiences, not your good ones."

Other resources to look for:
Fourth Genre (literary magazine)
River Teeth (journal)

Some of my favorite essays from the anthology section:

Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin
Total Eclipse by Annie Dillard
The Clan of One-Breasted Woman by Terry Tempest Williams
Best American Essays (series)

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this book since my Creative Nonfiction class in college, and I was determined to read it in full before giving it away. Glad I went back to it, though I don't plan on writing more creative nonfiction anytime soon.

First published 2003. The anthology at the back with sample essays is timeless. Much of the advice in the front chapters is still helpful and applicable. Though the technology references are a bit dated. There's mention of using tape recorders for interviews, and using your library's card catalogue and microfiche. And did you know there's this powerful search engine called www.google.com which can give you almost three hundred results if you type in a keyword? Totally cool.

[Patricia Florio · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used this book in my nonfiction classes at Wilkes. Let me say I'm still using this book three years later to refer to because the information in Tell It Slant must always be at my fingertips to refer to, to ingest, to get to penetrate in my head. Nonfiction is such a special genre that I want to give my readers my best writing. This book helps me reveal the creativity locked up inside my brain.

[Jenny Mckeel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm glad I read this book, although I don't know how useful it would be to teach a very beginning writer. It's written for someone new to the genre of creative nonfiction, but often speaks in a register that's a little too advanced, I felt. The structure of it is a little strange and it wasn't always as straightforward or as clear as I would have liked, but there is still tons of helpful ideas I found and I was very glad to have read it. It includes an anthology of creative nonfiction essays of various kinds and I liked the selection.

[Ginger Bensman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased this book looking for wisdom on writing memoir and I wasn't disappointed. However, because I've read so many books on writing fiction, I didn't really cover much new ground in Tell It Slant. This is wonderfully written and there are lots of resources and examples included. Essay writers will find this book especially helpful.

[Ericka Scott Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writing something—let alone publishing it!—can seem like an impossible goal. Tell It Slant approaches writing creative nonfiction in a way I would call…comforting. Brenda Miller and Suzanne Paola are both writing teachers and accomplished writers themselves. They offer not only advice but their own experience with writing, their own creative texts, and also their own insights in a way that makes successful writing seem within reach. They emphasize the insights anyone can develop from one’s own life and how these can be crafted into stories that resonate with others.
The book is subtitled Creating, Refining, and Publishing Creative Nonfiction, which is essentially the organizational pattern of the material. The first part, “Unearthing Your Material”, the “creating” part, includes several chapters focused on introspection into our pasts and observations of the world around us, all of which can provide potential material for essays and stories, even though we may initially consider what we’ve experienced and observed to be mundane and uninteresting. These chapters (and nearly all the chapters in the book) end with a variety of writing prompts based on the chapter’s material. These are creative and numerous enough that anyone could find something that “clicks”, something you can imagine yourself writing pages on. It seems so much of the difficulty of writing is simply writing—just overcoming procrastination and mental roadblocks and setting pen to paper, so these prompts are a valuable resource for motivation and idea generation.
Once you have some idea of your content, you can think about what form that content might take. What form would best convey the content and allow it to really speak to readers? This is the concern of the chapters in the second part, “The Many Forms of Creative Nonfiction”. I was amazed by all the possibilities, especially by how melding forms traditionally viewed as distinct can provide a fresh perspective. Many of the forms also take advantage of electronic communication. Some of the forms the authors cover are the lyric essay, the collage essay, the “hermit crab” essay, and the blog. These chapters encourage you to think creatively and explore how a new form might invigorate your writing.
The third part, “Honing Your Craft”, deals with the latter stages of the writing process, such as revision. Miller and Paola strongly advocate establishing a writing community for the mutual sharing and review of work in progress. The myth of the lonely, isolated artist is ultimately not a productive or desirable example to emulate. Groups are effective and yet can present challenges in maintaining productivity and providing truly constructive feedback. The authors, therefore, provide many suggestions for making groups effective, nurturing communities, as well as cautionary points on avoiding the pitfalls to which groups can be prone.
Anyone interested in publishing will find this third portion of the book to be an excellent resource. Again, as writers, Miller and Paola have many valuable insights to offer based on their years of experience. On a practical note, they discuss different publication venues and some of the “ins and outs” of the industry that aspiring writers would likely be unaware of. They also provide a helpful list of resources and both print and electronic journals, so that after reading this book, you’d have some concrete ideas on what to do next and how to find a “home” for your writing.
Overall, this would be a great book for anyone interested in exploring creative nonfiction, even if publication isn’t a goal. If one does wish to look into publication, however, as mentioned, this is addressed. This would also be a great resource for teachers. While the writers teach whole courses devoted to creative nonfiction, even if your course were more of an introductory writing course with just a unit or so devoted to personal writing, there’s a lot of material in this book that would be very helpful.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how helpful this book is for writing any genre. So many great tips and tricks in these pages!

[Scott Biggerstaff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the 2nd edition (because that was what was available at the library) and plan to buy the 3rd. This is a text that's used by creative non-fiction writing classes/programs, but I found it useful as a survey of means of self discovery through writing. The writers include a breadth of examples from various authors and a couple of their own essays at the book's tail end. For anyone who is interested in writing creative non-fiction or journaling I would highly recommend.

[Lindsay Hickman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't overly impressed with this book, but I will say it has given me a list of other great authors to read. This is a very heavily researched book, and you really could take each chapter as a small book in itself. Some great writing tips and tricks can be found within, but you really have to take it chunk by chunk with this one. If you are interested in writing it is a must read.

[Kristin Boldon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great and helpful reference.

[Emmaline Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Required reading for my Composing Nonfiction course. It was useful, and I enjoyed the majority of the insights within the text.

[Sarah Rider · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stuff.

[Nancy Jorgensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book for its practical advice, specific examples, and essays the employ the authors’ points. I took notes and underlined a ton of sentences that I keep referring to.

[Tyler Roland · Rating 3 out of 5]

A vanilla, by-the-numbers “textbook” of sorts that seeks to enlighten and inform the budding creative nonfiction writer. A couple of passages stood out to me as helpful and worth drilling into my cranium. The rest falls flat. Let it be known that I read the THIRD edition—I’m an up-to-date man!

[Anna Vincent · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book because it reviewed well on Amazon.com. It was a mistake. This book is for people who do not know anything about writing and who think for a second, “Maybe I’ll write a book,” perhaps because they’ve lived through some trauma. The premise for my complaints is this: The book was overly simplistic and it attempted to provide motivation.

Overly simplistic: “A metaphor is a way at getting at a truth that exists beyond the literal." This is the first chapter, which then goes on to describe, in five separate sections, the five senses.

Motivation: Miller and Paola give ideas of things to write about, like to write about your earliest memory. “It’s important for you as a writer, particularly a nonfiction writer, to think through what is different and important in your world, and what historical events formed the canvas for the fine brushstrokes of your own life.” Why would anyone attempt to write a creative nonfiction piece if they have nothing to say, if they have to consider the things in their life they could possibly write about? I can only conclude that the anticipated audience here is high school and college students who have to write for a required course.

That being said, I could see the book being helpful to someone who is a complete beginner to writing or who needs some basic help for a writing course.

Annie Dillard’s The Writing Life is referenced a fair amount, and that the authors liked this book should have been an indication for me that I was, again, reading the wrong book.

The most fascinating aspect of this book occurs in chapter eight: The Particular Challenges of Creative Nonfiction. Miller and Paola ask, “Does ‘nonfiction’ mean ‘no fiction’?” and soon after have a section called The Permutations of “Truth: Fact Verses Fiction. They explain the basic argument, that some believe creative nonfiction should be entirely factual, while others believe the word “creative” allows it to be as fictional as the writer decides, as long as it is someone tied to something that happened to the writer in reality. It’s a valid argument, and one that has been going on in the literary world for some time. When Oprah and many other readers of A Million Little Pieces discovered that the author, who had published his book as a memoir, had not had many of the experiences he wrote about in first person, they felt outraged and betrayed.

Miller and Paola make an excellent point, explaining that, as a creative nonfiction writer, you should cue the reader in, by making it clear what is fiction and nonfiction: “Once you set the terms of the discussion—once you situate the reader in that boundary zone between fact and fiction—then you most likely will be free to go wherever you wish.” This is solid advice, allowing the writer to write nonfiction with fictional elements, while not betraying the trust of their readers. Another option, of course, would be to publish your work as fiction, although it has both fictional and nonfictional elements. I believe this would allow greater freedom. Miller and Paola note with criticism that works published as fiction with nonfiction elements receive none of the scrutiny of the opposite: works published as nonfiction with fictional elements. I believe that fiction functions like a dominant trait, and once it’s added to the mix, it’s colors take over.

There is a section in chapter eight called Emotional Truth Versus Factual Truth that illustrates the slippery slope in memoir writing. The authors are not referring to perception when they use the term emotional truth, but rather being true to the emotion that memories hold. If a memoir writer remembers feeling shock and sorrow at a funeral, the emotion of shock and sorrow will be held to, but not necessarily the “factual truth,” such as what the casket looked like. Another point is that memoir writers may want to combine several people from their past into one character or change the order of events around for some purpose, perhaps to illustrate an important theme better. I think that this is perfectly okay, but the book should be labeled “creative” nonfiction, rather than simply nonfiction.

I think that when the term “creative” is added to nonfiction, it should allow the writer to use fictional elements. Miller and Paola show the argument as fiction vs. creative nonfiction, when they should show it as fiction vs. nonfiction. When a memoir is labeled nonfiction, I believe it should be true to reality as much as is remembered, and then true to perception. In this case, the author may be the only one who knows that he was true to his memory and to reality.

I found this to be good advice:
Miller and Paola give some helpful advice about revising: “Read the piece aloud and see if the prose has momentum. When does it lag and become plodding? Those are the sections that probably haven’t been refined enough.”

[Candice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a chapter here and there, usually before bedtime or while eating breakfast, throughout the 12 weeks of a creative nonfiction writing workshop I took this spring. I didn't read much of the anthology of essays at the end, but I'm glad I was able to find a used copy at Powells that had them (newer editions have removed the essays) because they helped illuminate the authors' points in the main chapters and were interesting and well written.

[Karen Kao · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tell It Slant by Brenda Miller and Suzanne Paola is in its 3rd edition. Long a resource for writers and teachers of creative nonfiction, Tell It Slant aims to capture a glimpse of creative nonfiction in the wild. How to feed it. How to sharpen its teeth. This is a manual on how to track some of the many ways in which a writer can tell her truth slant.


To read the full review, please visit my website for The Manual.

[Susan Tekulve · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was always been my favorite creative nonfiction textbook because it is both a guide to writing and an anthology. The chapters on craft are well organized and well illustrated, and the reading selections are quite good. Unfortunately, in 2004, the textbook industry made the editors of this wonderful 2003 edition create a newer edition, and in this newer 2004 edition, most of the readings are gone. The 2004 edition is just a slim volume, a shadow of this former glorious edition, and I've never found just one creative nonfiction textbook to replace the 2003 edition when I teach a course in creative nonfiction. Now, I have to use three different textbooks to deliver the same information that was once in the 2003 edition. What a shame that the textbook industry has destroyed this text.

[C.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh! Detailed in both heart and craft, this book lays out resources and experiences in writing that both tell story, and tell how to story. But then, stories teach best, and Miller and Paola hold that fact true, and then demonstrate its truth. Through the liberal integration of excerpts, author quotes, and the authors' own writing and personal challenges and reflections, SLANT brings its reader concrete and clear guidance and grounding in the work of word-craft, and a diverse array of examples to draw from. I especially enjoyed the prompts and challenges closing out each chapter.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid overview of the writing of creative nonfiction that worked really well as a teaching text; it's full of writing prompts and ideas, and it leaves lots of room for students, teachers, and writers to stretch out and find their places within the genre. Prescriptive enough for clarity but not so prescriptive that it's constricting. It's the best introduction to writing creative nonfiction that I've found; my students responded to it with enthusiasm and interest.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much that I'm going to hunt down the first edition, which has twice as many pages, and read that too.

[S.R. Weems · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is kind of a lie because I didn't read the whole thing. But I'm gonna count it. Because I got the gist.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent primer on creative nonfiction, filled with good writing prompts (not cheesy ones) and plenty of examples of the form. Highly recommended!

[Bettina]

This book reads a bit like a textbook for nonfiction, with so many ideas, exercises, tips, and tricks that I might be forced to purchase a paper copy because my Kindle version just doesn’t quite work for reference.

They refer to a man who was compelled to obsessively record every moment of his life which then became unmanageable. I thought of all my journals, and what to do with them. The details of our lives are not interesting in and of themselves, but only when they are turned into creative nonfiction. How this is done is described in this book, where Lee Gutkind is quoted as establishing the rules of engagement with the reader for the genre. He says it’s based upon the “5 Rs”: Real life; Research; Reading; Reflection and ‘wRiting’. This again was comforting to me and assured me I’m on the right life path! Been doing that for years…

The most helpful section described how to use the senses to trigger memories like taste, sound, photos, talismans, and the like. Also, how to add historical context to our own limited memories of critical events was key info I needed for my memoir project. This is the nuts and bolts of how to do CNF that I was looking for. I also found the advice: “Don’t be afraid to tell your truth, it’s not the whole truth” helpful in dealing with concerns about whether I have the right to tell my story where other people involved surely will have another perspective. There is something unique to my view of the world, and only I can bring it to my writing, so do it! Own your story. How I was raised, my gender, race, religion, education, etc. all these characteristics are uniquely combined in my life, so that is what I can draw upon.

Another quote that spoke to me: “Take your role as witness seriously; think of your writing as a way to capture the changes you’ve lived in the natural world.”

I have been contemplating this a lot lately when it comes to being witness to another person’s suffering. It is not possible for me to fix, change or even intervene at all in most situations in the world. But being a witness has value, and if it means being able to describe it through CNF so the rest of the world can know, then the witness role becomes truly meaningful.

[Amanda Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the spirit of its namesake Emily Dickinson poem, "Tell It Slant" centers on finding the true stories and ideas around us and telling them in a way no one else can, in our own writerly voice. Brenda Miller and Suzanne Paola compare the genre to photography in that “both operate as though the medium itself were transparent” (30), an apt representative image. They reveal the medium and present the fundamentals of it, covering content and form of creative nonfiction. They embed myriad examples and quotes from other authors within this thoroughly researched text as well as point to a wide breadth of writings and writers in the appended anthology featuring famous writers such as Margaret Atwood and James Baldwin as well as some lesser known authors. Unlike many craft texts for writers, "Tell It Slant" appears deliberately catered to educators, as evidenced by the writing exercises for student groups with variations for different student levels. The authors also intersperse notes on common mistakes from writers of the genre (e.g., “We all tend to use too little scene in creative nonfiction” [12]) in the warm tone of practiced mentors which serve as excellent tips for addressing common faux pas in student feedback. The topics covered within are clearly labeled and all feature exercises and examples to illustrate concepts. Where it does not dig deep into concepts, it provides further resources or readings for doing so.

I found this book a useful primer as someone who has never taken a formal “intro to creative nonfiction” course and is now studying the genre at the graduate level. Reading through the exercises, I found myself jotting down new essay ideas, or dusting off old ones, a testament to one of the book’s strong suits: its encouragement and prompts to generate new material.

[Stephen Haines · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve had the good fortune of studying under Brenda Miller in graduate school. Her class (and this text) have taught me so much about process, structure, theme, and craft (and the list goes on). This book has a lot to offer not just creative nonfiction writers but ALL writers because so much of what is being said in here is coming from a place of process: it is the process of creativity—what yours is, what does and doesn’t work for you, how to harness and keep creative energy and regularly produce new work, etc. After taking a class with her (and reading this book), I would go so far as to say that I will never have again the dreaded “writer’s block.” I honestly don’t believe that it’s possible if you take the time to really dive into some of these generative, habitual exercises.

There’s so much to learn about in here not just in terms of your own writing and good practices to establish as a writer, but also in the work that is cited throughout and in the anthology. Picking up this text and signing up for this class have opened doors to writers that are already becoming influential and inspirational (among them, for me in particular, Bernard Cooper). Long story long, this has been one of the most valuable, influential texts on craft that I have ever read.

[Cristabelle Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my writing teachers recommended this book to our writing class a while ago. It was on my Amazon cart for a while, and then on my bookshelf for a longer while. I knew that it would take me some time to get through, more of a studious examination than your run-of-the-mill reading—although, when you’re a writer, everything you read is a little bit like that—and I was right. This book is an immense educational resource. I was careful to highlight things I knew I’d want to go back to, and I constantly diverted my reading with its many exercises and writing prompts (which by themselves alone could foster years and years of writing). It also includes a lovely, diverse, and moving creative non-fiction anthology. I discovered the author Bernard Cooper and his beautiful essay The Fine Art of Sighing (which you can find and read online), and I was reminded of the value of a writing community. There’s probably not much out there that beats a writing class or workshop, but I’d wager this book is the next best thing.

[annalee ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate the monumental task that these authors were trying to tackle in writing a novel that acted as a catch-all for everything Creative Nonfiction, but the book struggled to cater to both novices and professionals. More often than not, the information that is interesting is given only a brief snippet and not explained in-depth enough to completely grasp the concept (such as the chapter on innovative forms). Some of the content feels "obvious" (there's a section on how to write) and some of it feels misplaced (there's an entire chapter on how to publish your works). Even the stories included in the anthology are hit-or-miss. Honestly, the best part of Tell It Slant are the writing prompts at the end of each chapter, but you can find writing prompts for free online.

[Kony · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoughtfully organized guide for anyone who wants a straightforward, yet encouraging, intro to the craft of literary nonfiction.

The first section introduces varied pathways into creating a nonfiction piece: memory, family, place, history, identity, the arts, research. The second looks at varied forms, from the traditional essay to more recently invented forms. The third covers things like writing process, revision, peer accountability or feedback groups, and publishing. The anthology at the end includes a number of gems.

A wealth of prompts and resources is listed at the end of each chapter.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read what I needed and left the rest. I have the third edition (2019) edition.


So, so, so helpful. A great introduction to writing creative nonfiction with clear, tangible examples. I especially appreciated the emphasis on ethics, good writing skills, and using sensory details and I know I'll come back to the anthology (with a list of what to pay attention to as a reader) again and again.

My only critiques: there is some odd and dated language around print/ electronic resources and sometimes it felt like they tacked on discussions of body image or disability (instead of integrating them seamlessly).