Journal 5 Jeremiah

1 The most important aspect of creative nonfiction that appears in fiction yet is forgotten in traditional nonfiction, is the use of imagery. When writing a poem or fiction, writers use their imaginations, imagery seems to come naturally. When writing non-fiction, the details and their accuracy seem to override our need for entertainment, and scenes that can be described in a way that inspires are depicted as pure, precise, plebeian facts. We find ourselves talking about how cheetahs can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in under three seconds, when we should be talking about how only 77 cars have been able to accelerate faster than a cheetah, and that the cheetah, unlike the cars, can slow down nearly as fast. Not to mention, that a cheetah doesn't make enough noise to scare away every animal for miles. Imagining a race between a super car and a cheetah makes a clear depiction of how much quicker a cheetah is than it is fast. Imagery is probably the biggest difference between boring and creative non-fiction writing.

2 I enjoyed "Two on Two" by Brian Doyle. https://www.creativenonfiction.org/online-reading/two-two 
This essay focuses on Basketball, which I can relate to because I played basketball in high school. I could tell it was about basketball from the very first sentence, where he uses a lot of jargon that someone who hasn't played would like not know, but a basketball player or fan would recognize, and instantly be able to relate to. He talks about all of the different kinds of people he played with, describing some of the memorable ones. The poem continues to do this until he talks about how he quit because of his injury. Then he fast forwards and talks about how he got married and had three kids. He then describes how he played two on two basketball with his kids, and how happy he is. I liked how he slowed down time to describe every detail. In basketball, even the worst players notice at least five things at once. To be able to even think what they are in your own head would take about three times the amount of time a player has to react to what they see and hear. Slowing down time is necessary to talk about real basketball. Using this technique to talk about his two on two match with his kids is a great technique, especially with the circumstances. There is one thing I hated about this essay however. There is nearly no punctuation. Commas are all but absent. they're placed only where it would be appropriate to put periods. Reading off his lists in the beginning is especially confounding.