A writer's concept of the truth may not be universally accepted and may even conflict with the facts as others understand or remember them. This is often called the theme, or the main point of focus. The building blocks of the Sinatra piece specifically, and good creative nonfiction generally, are scenes, another important element of the creative nonfiction form. Talese leads us on a whirlwind cross-country tour, revealing Sinatra and his entourage interacting with one another and with the rest of the world and demonstrating how the Sinatra world and the world inhabited by everyone else often collides.
Most creative nonfiction is written in the first person.
The challenge in writing in the first person is to be intimate and revealing while reaching beyond the boundaries of self and embracing a universal audience or message. The story behind the researching and writing of this profile is legendary. Gay Talese had been asked to profile Sinatra for Esquire, but when Talese arrived in Los Angeles Sinatra refused to be interviewed while burdened with a head cold. Instead of returning to New York without his story, Talese chose to hang around, hoping to be given the opportunity to interview the great man later. I complain about all of the difficult and painful aspects of writing, but at the same time, I have always felt lucky that for better or worse, right or wrong, I seem to have a sense within myself of when it is 'Hershey's' or right for me.