Philip Gerard Books
Philip Gerard (1955–2022) was an American author, essayist, and professor of creative writing at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. He wrote several works of fiction and nonfiction, including 'Cape Fear Rising' and 'Secret Soldiers,' and was known for his contributions to narrative journalism and the craft of writing.
Known for: The Art of Creative Research: A Field Guide for Writers, Writing Creative Nonfiction
Books by Philip Gerard
The Art of Creative Research: A Field Guide for Writers
A practical guide for writers seeking to enrich their creative work through research. Philip Gerard explores how to find, evaluate, and integrate factual material into fiction and nonfiction writing, ...
Writing Creative Nonfiction
Writing Creative Nonfiction is a comprehensive guide that explores the art and craft of nonfiction writing that reads like fiction. Philip Gerard provides practical advice on structure, voice, researc...
Key Insights from Philip Gerard
The Writer as Explorer
When I tell my students that the writer’s first job is to be an explorer, I see the flicker of recognition. Writing, after all, begins with curiosity—the hunger to know what happened, why it matters, and how it feels. Creative research grows from that hunger. Unlike academic research, which often st...
From The Art of Creative Research: A Field Guide for Writers
Finding the Story
At the heart of creative research lies a deceptively simple question: What is the story? Data or description alone does not make art. To find the story, a writer must learn to ask not only what happened, but what it means. Meaning comes from connection—between events and emotions, facts and imaginat...
From The Art of Creative Research: A Field Guide for Writers
Understanding the Role of the Writer: Reporter and Storyteller
The creative nonfiction writer must be both witness and artist. I learned early that you cannot simply report the world; you must translate it. As a reporter, your obligation is to accuracy — to tell what happened, to check the facts, to honor sources. But as a storyteller, your obligation is to mea...
From Writing Creative Nonfiction
Finding the Story: Choosing Subject and Theme
Every piece of creative nonfiction begins with the question: what compels you to write? Not every true story deserves the essayist’s devotion, and the finest narratives arise when the writer has an emotional and intellectual stake in the subject. The best material often hides in plain sight — an ove...
From Writing Creative Nonfiction
About Philip Gerard
Philip Gerard (1955–2022) was an American author, essayist, and professor of creative writing at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. He wrote several works of fiction and nonfiction, including 'Cape Fear Rising' and 'Secret Soldiers,' and was known for his contributions to narrative journal...
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Philip Gerard (1955–2022) was an American author, essayist, and professor of creative writing at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. He wrote several works of fiction and nonfiction, including 'Cape Fear Rising' and 'Secret Soldiers,' and was known for his contributions to narrative journal...
Philip Gerard (1955–2022) was an American author, essayist, and professor of creative writing at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. He wrote several works of fiction and nonfiction, including 'Cape Fear Rising' and 'Secret Soldiers,' and was known for his contributions to narrative journalism and the craft of writing.
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Philip Gerard (1955–2022) was an American author, essayist, and professor of creative writing at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. He wrote several works of fiction and nonfiction, including 'Cape Fear Rising' and 'Secret Soldiers,' and was known for his contributions to narrative journalism and the craft of writing.
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