Narrative nonfiction, also known as creative nonfiction or literary nonfiction, is true stories told using literary techniques and creativity. Narrative nonfiction essays are often featured in magazines such as Esquire, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and Harper's. Book-length narrative nonfiction works have grown in popularity since Truman Capote published In Cold Blood in 1965. Nonfiction works such as Into Thin Air, The Orchid Thief, The Perfect Storm, and Seabiscuit have smashed sales records and brought the genre into focus for the mainstream. With the rise of self-publishing and blogs comes a new generation of writers who want to tell their stories to a wider audience. The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Writing Nonfiction gives narrative nonfiction writers the instruction and tools they need to elevate their storytelling to an art form that appeals to more readers. In this book readers learn:

- What narrative nonfiction is
- The literary building blocks of narrative nonfiction
- How to research nonfiction subjects
- Tricks for remembering details of events from one's own life story
- How to conduct interviews for a book or article
- How to find inspiration when writing nonfiction stories
- Word choice and grammar help
- How to overcome roadblocks such as stalled motivation and inhibitions when writing about real, living people
- How to craft several types of narrative nonfiction by example
- How to find markets for their work and get published

In addition, author Christina Boufis interviews successful narrative nonfiction writers in many subgenres and gets their insights on what inspires them and how they overcome their own obstacles.