Writing About the Other: Creative Processes in Nonfiction Writing Through the Reconfiguration of the Literary Journalistic Profile

Authors

• Rafael Gloria Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5022-2830

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17058/signo.v51i102.21444

Keywords:

Literary journalistic profile, Creative writing, Literary journalism, Oral History, Memory, Nonfiction

Abstract

This article reflects on the literary journalistic profile as a hybrid genre situated at the intersection of journalism and literature, examining its potential for developing creative processes in nonfiction writing. Based on a bibliographic review of literary journalism, literary theory, memory studies, and Oral History, the discussion draws on authors such as Terry Eagleton, Pierre Bourdieu, Tzvetan Todorov, Paul Thompson, Alessandro Portelli, and Ecléa Bosi to understand the profile not only as a narrative product but also as a creative process that begins during reporting. The article argues that the interview can be understood as a creative device capable of activating memories, experiences, and interpretations that broaden the narrative possibilities of the literary profile. As a practical development, it presents preliminary proposals for creative interviews, employing objects, photographs, walks, and other memory triggers as methodological strategies to deepen listening and enrich narrative construction. The study concludes that creativity in nonfiction writing precedes the act of writing itself, emerging through investigation, attentive listening, and the relationship established between writer and interviewee.

References

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