John Keats and Will Adams: Two men with two compelling stories to tell. However, I must choose the one which will best suit the form of creative nonfiction, in order to develop an effective creative piece.
The First Idea - Will Adams
Will Adams was born in my hometown, Gillingham. He was the first Englishman to travel to Japan and rose to become adviser to the Shogun, a high position in the Japanese military. His website indicates that he's "one of the most influential foreigners during Japan's first period of opening to the West."Yet, this is his memorial: A neglected clock-tower at the edge of a motorway.
Despite his achievements, Will
Adams remains a disregarded figure in history. This provides a true story not yet explored by other writers. Furthermore, the contrast between the events of
his life, and the dusty memorial commemorating them, proposes an interesting question: why should we strive to achieve, if no one will remember us?
The Second Idea - John Keats
John Keats: a renowned poet of the
Romantic Era, writer of To Autumn and Lamia,
as well as many other famous works. Despite dying at 25, many hold him as a staple name in English Literature, myself included.
So imagine my surprise when I
discovered that he had visited Winchester, where I currently live.
His stay was a calming respite from his hectic life at the time. This can create an empathetic narrative not yet shown by other writers: the man,
not the poet, trying to find a sense of peace within his life, all the while transitioning into his eventual demise.
Three Important Questions
“Enlightening a reader is the unalterable mission of all nonfiction," says Lee Gutkind in The Art of Creative Nonfiction. While this is important, there are also two other aspects that I must consider as a nonfiction writer: narrative and historical accuracy. Therefore, I have broken down my decision making process into three questions:.
With any luck, these will help me make my decision.
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