A creative nonfiction short
On Water,
I grew up right next to the sea, but I don’t know how to swim. The sea is so close to my home in China, but my parents never take me there. They think the water may take me away form them. They think water is evil.
For many years, I never go near the sea, the pool or anything that has huge amount of water, because I wanted to be a good child. But when I turned eighteen, as a young adult I decided to learn to swim. No matter how disagreeable my parents were about my decision, I went to the swimming class anyways.
That was the first time I was ever in the water. It was cold but refreshing. I was excited and I couldn’t wait to explore the swimming pool. As silly as I was, I thought the swimming pool is the same depth form one end to the other. I walked along the side of the swimming pool not knowing I was walking toward the deeper side of the swimming pool. And there I was reaching the point where my feet couldn’t touch the bottom of the swimming pool any more.
Before I know, I was drowning. The water was alive. It was pushing me downward; it took over my strength and wanted my life. Water is evil after all.
In this creative nonfiction short, I focused more on the personal fact than the evidential facts. During the class discussion many classmates brought up the idea that in this short writing we should at least include something that is universally accepted such as what water is made up (one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms ) etc. I have a different view, fact is what had happened. If something had happened in someone’s life then that thing is the fact. If someone wants to write about that fact, then that writing will be consider nonfiction. “Water is evil.” I know many people would disagree with me but it is the fact (that is really what my parents think), so I put it in my nonfiction writing. The facts in the nonfiction writing could be as universal/personal as it could be. Right?
The Secret 