is biography fiction or nonfiction

Definition of Biography

Common examples of biographical subjects, famous examples of biographical works, difference between biography, autobiography, and memoir, examples of biography in literature, example 1: savage beauty: the life of edna st. vincent millay (nancy milford).

One of the first things Vincent explained to Norma was that there was a certain freedom of language in the Village that mustn’t shock her. It wasn’t vulgar. ‘So we sat darning socks on Waverly Place and practiced the use of profanity as we stitched. Needle in, . Needle out, piss. Needle in, . Needle out, c. Until we were easy with the words.’

Example 2: The Invisible Woman: The Story of Nelly Ternan and Charles Dickens (Claire Tomalin)

The season of domestic goodwill and festivity must have posed a problem to all good Victorian family men with more than one family to take care of, particularly when there were two lots of children to receive the demonstrations of paternal love.

Example 3: Virginia Woolf (Hermione Lee)

‘A self that goes on changing is a self that goes on living’: so too with the biography of that self. And just as lives don’t stay still, so life-writing can’t be fixed and finalised. Our ideas are shifting about what can be said, our knowledge of human character is changing. The biographer has to pioneer, going ‘ahead of the rest of us, like the miner’s canary, testing the atmosphere , detecting falsity, unreality, and the presence of obsolete conventions’. So, ‘There are some stories which have to be retold by each generation’. She is talking about the story of Shelley, but she could be talking about her own life-story.

Fiction vs. Nonfiction: Literature Types (Compared)

by Team Experts
July 2, 2023 July 3, 2023

Discover the surprising differences between fiction and nonfiction literature types in this eye-opening comparison.

Step	Action	Novel Insight	Risk Factors
1	Define	refer to the different categories of written works that are classified based on their content, , and purpose.	None
2	Compare and	and are two major literature types that differ in their and content.	None
3	Define	Narrative style refers to the way a story is told, including the , , and used.	None
4	Define	is a type of nonfiction that presents information and events that are based on and .	None
5	Define	are a type of fiction that presents events and that are not based on or people.	None
6	Define real-life events	Real-life events are a type of nonfiction that presents events and information that are based on actual occurrences.	None
7	Define	is a type of fiction that allows the author to use their to create , events, and .	None
8	Define	are a type of nonfiction that presents information and about a particular topic.	None
9	Define	are categories of that are defined by their content, , and purpose, such as romance, , or science fiction.	None

In conclusion, literature types are an essential aspect of written works that help readers understand the content, style, and purpose of a particular piece. Fiction and nonfiction are two major literature types that differ in their narrative style and content. Fiction includes imaginary stories and creative writing, while nonfiction includes fact-based writing and informational texts. Understanding these literature types and their differences can help readers choose the right book for their needs.

What are the Different Literary Types?

Narrative style in fiction and nonfiction writing, real-life events in nonfiction vs creative writing in fiction, informational texts: understanding their role in literature, common mistakes and misconceptions.

Step	Action	Novel Insight	Risk Factors
1	Identify the different literary types	There are various literary types, including , , , , , , , , , , , , , and	None
2	Define	Poetry is a of that uses to evoke , paint vivid , and convey complex ideas in a condensed and imaginative way	Poetry can be difficult to understand for some readers
3	Define	Drama is a type of that is written to be performed on stage or screen, and it often involves , , and between	Drama can be challenging to write and produce
4	Define	Prose is a of written or spoken that is not structured into , and it is often used for , , and other forms of non- writing	Prose can be less and imaginative than poetry
5	Define	A memoir is a type of that focuses on a specific period or in the author’s life, and it often includes personal and insights	Memoirs can be biased or subjective
6	Define	An autobiography is a type of writing that tells the story of the author’s life, often from birth to the present day, and it can include , , and insights	Autobiographies can be self-indulgent or overly detailed
7	Define	A biography is a type of writing that tells the story of someone else’s life, often with a focus on their achievements, struggles, and on society	Biographies can be influenced by the author’s biases or limited by the available information
8	Define	An essay is a type of writing that presents an argument, , or personal reflection on a specific topic, often in a structured and formal way	Essays can be challenging to write and require strong
9	Define	Satire is a type of writing that uses , , and to criticize or human vices, follies, and shortcomings	Satire can be offensive or misunderstood by some readers
10	Define	A fable is a type of story that uses animals, plants, or inanimate objects to teach a or convey a universal about	Fables can be or predictable
11	Define	Mythology is a type of literature that explores the origins, beliefs, and of a particular culture or society, often through the use of gods, goddesses, and	Mythology can be complex and difficult to understand for some readers
12	Define	A legend is a type of story that is based on historical or mythical events, often with a focus on heroic or	Legends can be exaggerated or distorted over time
13	Define	A folktale is a type of story that is passed down orally from generation to generation, often with a focus on , beliefs, and	Folktales can vary widely in and content
14	Define	An epic is a type of long-form that tells the story of a ‘s journey, often with a focus on of courage, honor, and destiny	Epics can be challenging to read and require a significant time commitment
15	Define	Tragedy is a type of drama that explores the downfall of a or heroine, often with a focus on themes of , , and	Tragedies can be emotionally intense and difficult to watch or read

Step	Action	Novel Insight	Risk Factors
1	Identify the	and writing have different .	Misunderstanding the between the two can lead to and ineffective writing.
2		uses to develop the personalities of the .	writing may use characterization to describe real people, but it is not as prevalent as in .
3		uses to reveal traits and advance the .	Nonfiction writing may use dialogue to provide or quotes from real people, but it is not as common as in fiction.
4		Fiction writing uses a structured to create and .	Nonfiction writing may use a structured plot, but it is not as necessary as in fiction.
5		Fiction writing uses to create vivid and .	Nonfiction writing may use imagery, but it is not as prevalent as in fiction.
6		Fiction writing uses to convey the author’s towards the subject matter.	Nonfiction writing may use tone, but it is not as subjective as in fiction.
7		Fiction writing uses to create an in the reader.	Nonfiction writing may use mood, but it is not as prevalent as in fiction.
8		Fiction writing uses to create a sense of place and .	Nonfiction writing may use setting, but it is not as necessary as in fiction.
9		Fiction writing uses to convey a or .	Nonfiction writing may use theme, but it is not as prevalent as in fiction.
10		Fiction writing uses to hint at future events.	Nonfiction writing may use foreshadowing, but it is not as prevalent as in fiction.
11		Fiction writing uses to provide or .	Nonfiction writing may use flashback, but it is not as prevalent as in fiction.
12		Fiction writing uses to represent abstract ideas or concepts.	Nonfiction writing may use symbolism, but it is not as prevalent as in fiction.
13		Fiction writing uses to create a between what is expected and what actually happens.	Nonfiction writing may use irony, but it is not as prevalent as in fiction.
14		Fiction writing uses to create and advance the plot.	Nonfiction writing may use conflict, but it is not as prevalent as in fiction.
15		Fiction writing uses to create a turning point in the story.	Nonfiction writing may use climax, but it is not as prevalent as in fiction.

Overall, understanding the differences in narrative style between fiction and nonfiction writing is crucial for effective storytelling . While some elements may overlap, such as plot structure and conflict, the use of characterization, dialogue, imagery, tone, mood, setting, theme, foreshadowing, flashback, symbolism, irony, and climax differ greatly between the two styles . It is important to consider these elements when choosing a narrative style and to use them effectively to engage and captivate the reader.

Step	Action	Novel Insight	Risk Factors
1	Identify the purpose of the writing	aims to inform and educate readers about , while aims to entertain and engage readers through	may be limited by the availability of information, while may require more and creativity
2	Determine the type of writing	Nonfiction can take the of , , , historical fiction, , , literary , personal , expository writing, and -based writing, while fiction can be imaginative	Nonfiction may require more and -checking, while fiction may require more attention to and
3	Gather information	Nonfiction requires accurate and reliable information about , while fiction requires creative ideas and imaginative	Nonfiction may require more time and effort to gather information, while fiction may require more time and effort to develop and
4	Determine the level of	Nonfiction should be based on real-life events and should not be overly fictionalized, while fiction can be completely made up or based on real-life events with varying of	Nonfiction may risk losing if it is overly fictionalized, while fiction may risk losing if it is too closely based on real-life events
5	Use	Fiction can use literary devices such as , , and to enhance the , while nonfiction can use literary devices such as anecdotes and to make the writing more engaging	Fiction may risk becoming too abstract or confusing if literary devices are overused, while nonfiction may risk becoming too dry or boring if literary devices are not used effectively
6	Edit and revise	Both nonfiction and fiction require and to improve the , , and effectiveness of the writing	Nonfiction may require more and to ensure accuracy and , while fiction may require more editing and revision to ensure and

Overall, the key difference between real-life events in nonfiction and creative writing in fiction is the purpose of the writing and the level of fictionalization. Nonfiction aims to inform and educate readers about real-life events, while fiction aims to entertain and engage readers through creative writing. Nonfiction requires accurate and reliable information about real-life events, while fiction requires creative ideas and imaginative storytelling. Nonfiction should be based on real-life events and should not be overly fictionalized, while fiction can be completely made up or based on real-life events with varying degrees of fictionalization. Both nonfiction and fiction require editing and revision to improve the clarity, coherence, and effectiveness of the writing.

Step	Action	Novel Insight	Risk Factors
1	Identify the purpose of the .	are written to inform, educate, or explain a topic to the reader.	The reader may not find the topic interesting or relevant to their needs.
2	Determine the type of informational text.	There are various types of informational texts, including expository writing, , , , , , , , , and .	The reader may not be familiar with the different types of informational texts.
3	Analyze the of the informational text.	Informational texts are structured differently from , with a focus on , , and evidence.	The reader may find the of the text too dry or boring.
4	Evaluate the of the information presented.	Informational texts should be based on reliable sources and accurate information.	The reader may encounter biased or false information.
5	Consider the for the informational text.	Informational texts are written for a specific , such as students, professionals, or general readers.	The reader may not be the intended audience for the text.
6	Reflect on the of the informational text.	Informational texts can broaden the reader’s knowledge, challenge their beliefs, or inspire them to take action.	The reader may not be open to new ideas or .

Overall, understanding the role of informational texts in literature can provide readers with valuable knowledge and insights on various topics. However, it is important to approach these texts with a critical eye and consider the potential risks of biased or false information. By analyzing the purpose, type, structure, credibility , audience, and impact of informational texts, readers can gain a deeper understanding of the world around them.

Mistake/Misconception	Correct Viewpoint
is not based on reality.	While may be a work of , it can still be grounded in reality and draw inspiration from or people.
is always factual and objective.	can also have biases, opinions, and subjective depending on the author’s . It is important to critically evaluate nonfiction sources as well.
Fiction is only for entertainment purposes.	While entertainment may be one purpose of fiction, it can also serve to educate, inspire , explore complex and issues, or offer .
Nonfiction is always informative and .	While nonfiction may aim to inform or educate readers about a particular topic or event, it can also simply tell a story without necessarily providing new information or insights.
Fiction cannot teach us anything valuable about life or .	Many works of fiction offer profound insights into the human condition and provide opportunities for and personal growth through their exploration of such as love, , , etc..
books are boring compared to fictional stories.	books cover various topics that could interest different individuals like science politics among others hence they are not boring but rather informative.

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Memoir, Biography, Narrative Nonfiction—How Are They Different?

Posted by Lisa Dale Norton | Feb 1, 2019 | Writing Insights | 0 |

Here we are in February, the time of year when we throw ourselves back into writing the story of our life. The end of the year, with its deepening dark and circle of celebrations, distracts. But now, we begin again, clawing our way through the relentlessness of the information cycle to a quiet rhythm of shaping words, and asking fundamental questions: What is a memoir? How is it different from biography, and how are both related to that thing called narrative nonfiction?

Here’s my take on it:

Memoir is a story based on your life experience and what you have learned from it.

It is a winnowing of all that has happened into a tight view of a slim section of experience: the coming of age years; the head-spinning start of a career; early motherhood. But always, it is a winnowing of the vast, complicated arc of events that has constituted your life. Narrow, narrow, narrow. Find one series of events that linked together explores some vulnerable and pressing universality of life.

Biography is all about you, too—and all is the correct word. This is where you get to write about where you were born, and what went on during your young years, leaving home, setting out to make your way in the world, love, relationship, work, loss—the whole canvas.

See how biography is different from memoir?

Of course, we hope a biography will show us mistakes made and lessons learned—the vicissitudes that brought a woman to be who she is, pimples and all. We hope for some readers’ transformation as we witness the arc of that person’s life, but this is different from the expectations of the reader of memoir.

The reader of memoir dives in for the short version, the lens of the camera zooming in to show the close up of just the years from 6 to 18, or just that summer your husband died, or just the college years that led to a Rhodes Scholarship, or just the years when you, through sheer fortitude, worked your way out of poverty, of just those events that came together to make you the vocal activist you are today. Slim focus. And from that slim focus a nugget of wisdom.

Narrative nonfiction is a similar but slightly different beast.

This is a form where you might write about yourself and your experience a good deal, but you will also be teaching us something about the world. Maybe it’s the world of a dwindling tribe of the last subsistence whalers in the world (“The Last Whalers: Three Years in the Far Pacific with a Courageous Tribe and a Vanishing Way of Life” by Doug Bock Clark, recently published by Little, Brown and Company), so that the story ends up being about the writer’s experience getting the story, and about the nonfiction information itself.

We could say narrative nonfiction is the wedding of journalism and memoir, and while you may not be a journalist, you can do the same thing with your story by finding a topic that is central to your manuscript and making it an equal and parallel part of the story you write about yourself. Here’s a book where a writer did just that: “Don’t Make Me Pull Over: An Informal History of the Family Road Trip” (Simon & Schuster, 2018), which combined author Richard Ratay’s personal experiences with road trips, and the history of the American road trip from post-WWII to the 1970s.

See what I mean?

If you take the time to peruse the shelves of current nonfiction in your local book shop, you will see a lot of nonfiction with the author as player in the story. Why? Because we are a culture obsessed with the personal, the “I” of everything. Neither good nor bad, just ‘tis. And so, many contemporary nonfiction books give us the writer as a character and that character’s experience. But, they also give us information: the biologist who writes about his early days in the Galapagos, and Charles Darwin; the violinist who writes about becoming first chair of an orchestra, and the violin; the dog lover who writes about her dogs, and the industry of dog shows—two parallel stories that dip into and weave around each other giving us something fresh.

The name narrative nonfiction tells you everything you need to know: narrative, which means a story, and nonfiction, which refers to a topic from our world.

Can you find your project in this spectrum? Doing so now in February will make your writing year more productive, and make you more savvy about the marketplace.

About The Columnist

Lisa Dale Norton

Lisa Dale Norton is an author, developmental book editor, and a dynamic public speaker. She is passionate about layered writing structures in narrative nonfiction that reflect the complexity of life experience, and about the transformative power of writing a memoir. She is a gifted teacher, clear communicator, and a pro at creating an environment were learning can happen. Lisa wrote America’s go-to memoir writing guide, Shimmering Images: A Handy Little Guide to Writing Memoir (Macmillan), and the literary nonfiction story Hawk Flies Above: Journey to the Heart of the Sandhills (Picador USA), which won comparisons to the writing of Annie Dillard. https://lisadalenorton.com/

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Fiction vs. Nonfiction – What’s the Difference?

Home » Fiction vs. Nonfiction – What’s the Difference?

We see these words in libraries and bookstores, in magazines and online, but what do fiction and nonfiction really mean? What kinds of writing belong in each of these categories, and why?

You are not the first writer to ask these questions, and you will not be the last. Works of fiction and nonfiction can each be enthralling and valuable pieces of literature, but they are different in several important ways.

Continue reading to learn the differences between fiction and nonfiction , and how you can use these words in your own writing.

What is the Difference Between Fiction and Nonfiction?

In this post, I will compare fiction vs. nonfiction . I will use each of these words in at least one example sentence, so you can see them in context.

I will also show you a unique memory tool that will help you decide whether a piece of literature is fiction or nonfiction .

When to Use Fiction

Definition of nonfiction definition and definition of fiction definition

In popular language, fiction is also used to describe anything that is not true.

Here are a few examples of the word fiction in a sentence,

“I am penning a new work of fiction!” said the old-timey writer from a coffee shop in Paris.
“The President’s allegations are pure fiction!” screamed the reporters.
Many people did not know that The War of the Worlds was a work of fiction the first time they heard it.
Some of the new technologies seem straight out of science fiction. – The Wall Street Journal

Novels are a classic example of fictional prose. If you enjoy reading novels, you are a fan of reading fiction.

When to Use Nonfiction

Here are a few more examples,

“You will find the biography of Rutherford B. Hayes in the nonfiction section,” said the librarian.
I would write a memoir, but the details of my life are so fantastical that people would not believe it is a work of nonfiction.
The new self-help book climbed its way to the top of the nonfiction best sellers list.
A biography of a book, rather than a person, is a relatively new wrinkle in nonfiction. – The Washington Post

If you enjoy reading biographies, memoirs, historical works, or books on current events, you are a fan of nonfiction works.

Nonfiction sometimes appears as a hyphenated word: non-fiction. Either spelling is accepted, but, as you can see from the below graph, you can see that nonfiction is much more common.

Trick to Remember the Difference

A work that is nonfiction is a recounting of real events. A work of fiction is based on made-up people or events.

Since fiction and false begin with the same letter, we can easily remember that fiction is false , even if it is an excellent and well-crafted story.

You can extend this mnemonic to nonfiction as well. A nonfiction story is not fake .

Is it fiction or nonfiction? Fiction and nonfiction are two categories of writing.

Fiction deals with made-up people or events.
Nonfiction deals with real life.

Fiction is also a word that is commonly used to describe anything that is not true , like wild accusations or patently false testimony. This article, though, is a work of nonfiction.

Since fiction and false each begin with the letter F , remembering that a work of fiction is not a true story should not be difficult to remember.

It might be difficult to remember the difference between these words, but remember, you can always reread this article for a quick refresher.

Is Autobiography Fiction Or Nonfiction? (Detailed Comparison)

Last Updated on July 20, 2022 by Dr Sharon Baisil MD

Publishers often consider novels when contemplating the publishing of a book. Yet, nonfiction books account for a significant portion of bestselling novels, such as mystery, romance, fantasy, historical, or science fiction.

Nonfiction, like fiction, includes a wide range of books and genres. True stories are what connect all nonfiction works. Fiction is entire of an author’s imagination (with some input from reality). As a result, nonfiction cannot be fabricated.

In this blog, we’ll look at if autobiography is fiction or nonfiction. Is there anything called fictional autobiography? So, let’s clear all your doubts ahead without any further delay!

Fiction vs. Nonfiction: Defining the Differences in Detail

“Fiction” is a term that refers to works written from the imagination. Fiction genres include mysteries, science fiction, romance, fantasy, chick-lit, and crime thrillers. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, 1984 by George Orwell, and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen are all examples of classic literature.

“Literature-based in fact” is referred to as “nonfiction.” It encompasses most types of literature. For example, biography, business, cooking, health and fitness, pets, crafts, home décorating, languages, travel, home improvement, religion, and art are a few categories covered in the Nonfiction Department.

Different Types of Non-Fiction Books

Everyone is drawn to nonfiction books. There is a topic that suits your interests, regardless of what it is. Nonfiction, like fiction, has a wide range of genres to pick from.

Examples of popular nonfiction genres:

Autobiography

Cultural Criticism/Responses
History/Law/Political
True Crime/Investigative
Self-help/Motivational
Coloring Books

What is Creative Nonfiction?

It cannot be easy to write a nonfiction tale of any kind. You are in charge of telling an accurate tale and presenting the facts as accurately as possible while also making the reading experience enjoyable for the reader.

The genres of memoir , autobiography, and biography are the three primary styles for conveying a creative nonfiction narrative. Knowing the distinctions between them is vital to ensure you’re writing within the proper scope. Each has its unique traits.

A memoir is a compilation of individual recollections about specific periods or occurrences in the author’s life. Memoirs are written in the first-person point of view , and they’re told from the author’s perspective.

The scope of a memoir distinguishes it from autobiographies and biographies . Memoirs are structured around one aspect of a person’s life, such as addiction, parenting, adolescence, disease, or religion. The other genres focus on the whole lifespan of that person.

An autobiography is a story told in the first-person point of view, with the author serving as the main character. It is similar to a memoir in that it is a retelling of one’s life.

Autobiographies are usually written in the first-person point of view like: “I was a Southern California high school student when I decided to run for Student Body President. My life changed forever.”

The autobiography is about own life and is made by own soul, so it has little interest compared with other genres, but that is not always true because some are very interesting than others. Many autobiographies have been sold well and become best-sellers, such as JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series.

Autobiographies, unlike memoirs, are more concerned with facts than feelings. As a result, a collaborator frequently joins the project to assist the author in creating the most realistic, unbiased tale possible. The short stories in autobiography fiction mix real life with fantasy and fiction.

A biography is written by another individual other than the person about the events and conditions of that person’s life. People often write biographies of historical or public figures, and with or without the subject’s permission, they may be written.

Unlike both memoirs and autobiographies, biographies are usually written in the third person point of view and have a more professional and objective tone than both.

What is called a fictional autobiography?

The term “fictional autobiography” has a variety of connotations that overlap with “autobiographical novel” or “autofiction,” which are used interchangeably. A fictional autobiography is a story that portrays an autobiographical discourse without any suggestion of identity between the protagonist/narrator and the author of the work in a restricted sense.

Autofiction approaches, or the merging of autobiographical and fictitious aspects, are used in an autobiographical book. However, the stipulation of being fiction distinguishes a literary technique from an autobiography or memoir.

Whereas, in the fictional autobiography, the autobiographical character of the text refers to its representational frame of it.

Final Words

In this blog, we discussed the difference between autobiography fiction and nonfiction and the various types of creative fiction. We also looked at some FAQs that can help better understand the difference between these two genres. Do you have any questions that you would like to ask about this topic? Please feel free to leave a comment below, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

What are the benefits of writing an autobiography, fiction, or nonfiction?

Answer: Writing an autobiography, fiction or nonfiction, may be the perfect career if you have a story to tell. Both genres offer a unique opportunity to share your story with the world, and both can be extremely rewarding. As a memoirist, you will have the chance to explore your past and share your experiences with the reader. This can be a cathartic experience, and it can inspire others who may be struggling in their own lives. As a fiction writer, you will be able to create a story based on your own life experiences. This can be a thrilling experience, and it can be enriching to see your story come to life on the page. Both genres offer opportunities for book signings, media appearances, and more. However, autobiography fiction or nonfiction is particularly rich in opportunities for advertising and marketing.

How do you choose a good topic for your autobiography, fiction, or nonfiction book?

Answer: When writing a book, it is essential to choose a topic you are passionate about. This will give your book a personal touch to make it more exciting and engaging for your readers. Once you have identified a topic, the next step is to develop a compelling and interesting story that will capture your readers’ attention. This story should be based on your chosen topic, and it should be easy to follow. Once you have your story lined up, it is important to research to ensure that your book’s information is accurate.

Is it okay to use copyrighted material in your autobiography fiction or nonfiction book, such as quotes from people who have written books on similar topics as yours, new articles that relate to topics, etc.?

Answer: You can use copyrighted material in your autobiography, fiction, or nonfiction book, as long as you do not use the entire quote or article. Instead, you are permitted to use a small excerpt, and you must attribute the quote or article to the source. You can also include a link to the webpage or article if you would like the reader to be able to find the source material.

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Genre Introduction

The difference between fiction and nonfiction, is all fiction literature is all nonfiction literature .

Fiction refers to literature created from the imagination. Mysteries, science fiction, romance, fantasy, chick lit, crime thrillers are all fiction genres. Whether or not all of these genres should be considered “literature” is a matter of opinion. Some of these fiction genres are taught in literature classrooms and some are not usually taught, considered more to be reading for entertainment. Works often taught in literature classrooms are referred to as “literary fiction” including classics by Dickens, Austen, Twain, and Poe, for example.

Like fiction, non-fiction also has a sub-genre called “literary nonfiction” that refers to literature based on fact but written in creative way, making it as enjoyable to read as fiction. Of course there are MANY other types of nonfiction such as cook books, fitness articles, crafting manuals, etc. which are not “literature,” meaning not the types of works we would study in a literature classroom. However, you may not be aware of the many types of nonfiction we would study, such as biography, memoir or autobiography, essays, speeches, and humor. Of these literary nonfiction genres, they can be long like a book or series of books or short like an essay or journal entry. Some examples of these you are already familiar with, like The Diary of Anne Frank or Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt. These works of literary nonfiction have character, setting, plot, conflict, figurative language, and theme just like literary fiction .

Clarification : The test of categorizing a work between fiction and non-fiction is not whether there is proof the story is true, but whether it CLAIMS to be true. For example, someone writing a first hand account of being abducted by aliens would be classified in the nonfiction section, meaning the author claims it really happened. Further, a story in which imaginary characters are set into real historical events is still classified as fiction.

Introduction to Literature (Nonfiction). Provided by : Extended Learning Institute of Northern Virginia Community College. Located at : https://courses.candelalearning.com/zelixeng125/chapter/introduction-to-non-fiction/ . License : CC BY: Attribution

The Difference Between Fiction and Nonfiction

Matt Grant is a Brooklyn-based writer, reader, and pop culture enthusiast. In addition to BookRiot, he is a staff writer at LitHub, where he writes about book news. Matt's work has appeared in Longreads, The Brooklyn Rail, Tor.com, Huffpost, and more. You can follow him online at www.mattgrantwriter.com or on Twitter: @mattgrantwriter

View All posts by Matt Grant

For writers and readers alike, it’s sometimes hard to tell the difference between fiction and nonfiction. In general, fiction refers to plot, settings, and characters created from the imagination, while nonfiction refers to factual stories focused on actual events and people. However, the difference between these two genres is sometimes blurred, as the two often intersect.

The Difference Between Fiction and Nonfiction | BookRiot.com | Non-Fiction | Fiction | Books | Reading | #Fiction #TeacherResources #Education

Before we go any further, it’s important to note that both fiction and nonfiction can be utilized in any medium (film, television, plays, etc.). Here, we’re focusing on the difference between fiction and nonfiction in literature in particular. Let’s look closer at each of these two categories and examine what sets them apart.

What Is Fiction?

When it comes to the differences between fiction and nonfiction, Joseph Salvatore, Associate Professor of Writing & Literature at The New School in New York City, says,

“I teach a course on the craft, theory, and practice of fiction writing, and in it, we discuss this topic all the time. Although all of the ideas and theories…are disputed and challenged by writers and critics alike (not only as to what fiction is but as to what it is in relation to other genres, e.g., creative nonfiction), I’d say there are some basic components of fiction.”

Fiction is fabricated and based on the author’s imagination. Short stories, novels, myths, legends, and fairy tales are all considered fiction. While settings, plot points, and characters in fiction are sometimes based on real-life events or people, writers use such things as jumping off points for their stories.

For instance, Stephen King sets many of his stories and novels in the fictional town of Derry, Maine. While Derry is not a real place, it is based on King’s actual hometown of Bangor . King has even created an entire topography for Derry that resembles the actual topography of Bangor.

Additionally, science fiction and fantasy books placed in imaginary worlds often take inspiration from the real world. A example of this is N.K. Jemisin’s The Broken Earth trilogy, in which she uses actual science and geological research to make her world believable.

Fiction often uses specific narrative techniques to heighten its impact. Salvatore says that some examples of these components are:

“The use of rich, evocative sensory detail; the different pacing tempos of dramatic and non-dramatic events; the juxtaposition of summarized narrative and dramatized scenes; the temporary delay and withholding of story information, to heighten suspense and complicate plot; the use of different points of view to narrate, including stark objective effacement and deep subjective interiority; and the stylized use of language to narrate events and render human consciousness.”

What Is Nonfiction?

Nonfiction, by contrast, is factual and reports on true events. Histories, biographies, journalism, and essays are all considered nonfiction. Usually, nonfiction has a higher standard to uphold than fiction. A few smatterings of fact in a work of fiction does not make it true, while a few fabrications in a nonfiction work can force that story to lose all credibility.

An example is when James Frey, author of A Million Little Pieces , was kicked out of Oprah’s Book Club in 2006 when it came to light that he had fabricated most of his memoir.

However, nonfiction often uses many of the techniques of fiction to make it more appealing. In Cold Blood is widely regarded as one of the best works of nonfiction to significantly blur the line between fiction and nonfiction, since Capote’s descriptions and detailing of events are so rich and evocative. However, this has led to questions about the veracity of his account.

“The so-called New Journalists, of Thompson’s and Wolfe’s and Didion’s day, used the same techniques [as fiction writers],” Salvatore says. “And certainly the resurgence of the so-called true-crime documentaries, both on TV and radio, use similar techniques.”

This has given rise to a new trend called creative nonfiction, which uses the techniques of fiction to report on true events. In his article “ What Is Creative Nonfiction? ” Lee Gutkind, the creator of Creative Nonfiction magazine, says the term:

“Refers to the use of literary craft, the techniques ﬁction writers, playwrights, and poets employ to present nonﬁction—factually accurate prose about real people and events—in a compelling, vivid, dramatic manner. The goal is to make nonﬁction stories read like ﬁction so that your readers are as enthralled by fact as they are by fantasy.”

Although it’s sometimes hard to tell the difference between fiction and nonfiction, especially in the hands of a skilled author, just remember this: If it reports the truth, it’s nonfiction. If it stretches the truth, it’s fiction.

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Fiction and Nonfiction: Understanding the Distinctions

Becoming a skilled writer requires knowing the different genres available. Let’s start with the basics: understanding the difference between fiction and nonfiction.

White text over purple background reads "Fiction vs Nonfiction."

What’s the Difference Between “Fiction” and “Nonfiction”?

Fiction refers to “something created in the imagination .” Therefore, fictional writing is based on events that the author made up rather than real ones. Nonfiction is “writing that revolves around facts , real people, and events that actually occurred .”

What does “fiction” mean (with examples).

What Does “Nonfiction” Mean? (With Examples)

How To Write Fiction and Nonfiction Masterpieces

An artist discerns subtle brushstrokes that look identical to the average person. They can also recognize hundreds of colors by their names. Similarly, as writers, we must be familiar with distinct types of prose, with the foundation of that knowledge being the ability to differentiate between fiction and nonfiction .

If you’ve ever been uncertain about these terms, you’re in the right place. We’ll help you get a solid grasp of what fiction and nonfiction mean by providing clear explanations and examples.

Let’s dive in!

Fiction is “written work that is invented or created in the mind.” Put differently, the narrative is imaginary and didn’t actually happen. Novels, short stories, epic poems, plays, and comic books are a few types of fiction writing.

Examples of famous fiction literature include:

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes

Fiction can read like this:

On my way to the city of Bolognaland, I noticed that my water-fueled flying car was running low on energy. So, I stopped by the water station and filled up the tank. There, I saw the most beautiful sunset of green, turquoise, and black. As the sun set below the horizon, the two moons—Luminara and Crescelia—took their place in the night sky.

To the best of our knowledge, every single aspect of the story written above is imaginary, from Bolognaland to the two moons. However, it’s important to note that not every component of a fictional story has to be created out of thin air. For example, someone could come up with a tale about a man who grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, which is an actual place in the United States. A fictional story can incorporate many components that are nonfiction .

The word fiction isn’t always used to describe a type of literature; it can also refer to anything false.

Don’t believe anything he says—it’s all fiction !

The legend of the hidden treasure has been passed down in this family for generations, but most of us think it’s fiction .

A main part of my job as a historian is to separate fact from fiction in ancient manuscripts.

“Fictional” vs. “Fictitious”

Fictional and fictitious both relate to things or people that are made up and are often used interchangeably. However, fictional typically describes something that originates from literature , movies , or other forms of storytelling , and fictitious can refer to something that is false and intended to deceive . In other words, it carries more of a negative connotation.

Graphic shows book with flowers emerging from it. Next to it is a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson that reads "Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures."

What Does “Nonfiction” Mean?

Nonfiction refers to “literature that is based on facts, real events, and real people.” Nonfiction writers aim to compose everything as truthfully and accurately as possible. However, sometimes authors enhance certain parts to make them more interesting, or they are required to change specific facts, like names, for privacy reasons.

Memoirs, biographies, articles, essays, and even personal journal entries are a few types of nonfiction texts.

A few examples of famous published nonfiction works include:

Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Educated by Tara Westover

The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben

Here’s a piece of nonfiction text:

Elon Musk was born in Pretoria, South Africa on June 28, 1971. His mother is Maye Musk, and his father is Errol Musk. Musk has two siblings, a younger brother named Kimbal and a younger sister named Tosca.

This text is accurate and based on facts; therefore, it is considered nonfiction . But please note that it is not exemplary of nonfiction works—they’re not all boring, rigid, and monotonous. Skilled nonfiction writers weave rhetorical devices, interesting facts, and more to keep readers engaged.

Is it “Nonfiction” or “Non-Fiction”?

This word can be spelled as a hyphenated ( non-fiction ) or non-hyphenated ( nonfiction ) compound word . The spelling depends on which English dialect you’re writing in.

In American English, nonfiction is more commonly used. Both forms are found in British English, but non-fiction is slightly more prevalent.

Graphic shows book with flowers coming out of it. Next to it is a quote by Mark Twain that reads "Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; truth isn't."

How To Write Fictional and Nonfictional Masterpieces

We should reiterate that fiction and nonfiction writing can overlap. That means that some fiction includes components of nonfiction and vice versa .

What’s vital to remember is that fiction writing is mostly made up of fabricated stories, whereas nonfiction writing is mostly composed of the truth.

Written masterpieces can be found in all genres, including fiction and nonfiction . When it’s time for you to work on yours, make sure you entrust LanguageTool as your writing assistant. As a multilingual, AI-driven, spell, grammar, and punctuation checker, LanguageTool rids your texts of various types of errors while ensuring you stay productive to reach your goals.

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Fiction vs. nonfiction?

Nonfiction writing recounts real experiences, people, and periods. Fiction writing involves imaginary people, places, or periods, but it may incorporate story elements that mimic reality.

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What is the difference between fiction and nonfiction ?

The terms fiction and nonfiction represent two types of literary genres, and they’re useful for distinguishing factual stories from imaginary ones. Fiction and nonfiction writing stand apart from other literary genres ( i.e., drama and poetry ) because they possess opposite conventions: reality vs. imagination.

What is fiction ?

Fiction is any type of writing that introduces an intricate plot, characters, and narratives that an author invents with their imagination. The word fiction is synonymous with terms like “ fable ,” “ figment ,” or “ fabrication ,” and each of these words has a collective meaning: falsehoods, inventions, and lies.

Not all fiction is entirely made-up, though. Historical fiction, for example, features periods with real events or people, but with an invented storyline. Additionally, science fiction novels function around real scientific theories, but the overall story is untrue.

What is nonfiction ?

Nonfiction is any writing that represents factual accounts on past or current events. Authors of nonfiction may write subjectively or objectively, but the overall content of their story is not invented (Murfin 340).

Works of nonfiction are not limited to traditional books, either. Additional examples of nonfiction include:

Instruction manuals
Safety pamphlets
Journalism
Recipes
Medical charts

Comparing fiction and nonfiction texts

Outside of reality vs. imagination, nonfiction and fiction writing possess several typical features.

Fictional text features:

Imaginary characters, settings, or periods
A subjective narrative
Novels, novellas, and short stories
Literary fiction vs. genre fiction ( e.g., sci-fi, romance, mystery )

Nonfiction text features:

Real people, events, and periods
An authoritative narrative
Autobiographies, letters, journals, essays, etc .
Venn diagrams, anchor charts, mini-lessons, extension activities
Index, citations, and bibliographies
Academic/peer-reviewed publishers

What does fiction and nonfiction have in common?

Oftentimes, an elaborate work of fiction has more in common with nonfiction than a simple fairy tale or children’s book. Examples of shared traits include:

Major literary publishers ( e.g., Hachette Books and HarperCollins )
Photographic and illustrated book covers
Stylistic elements such as an index, glossary, or citations
Themes involving history, mythology, and science
Creative prose narratives

Prose narratives of fiction vs. nonfiction

According to The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms , we can narrowly distinguish fiction from nonfiction through the use of “prose narratives,” a term that refers to an author’s storytelling form.

For works of fiction , authors typically use prose narratives such as the novel , novella , or short story . But for nonfiction books, prose narratives take the form of biographies , expository , letters , essays, and more.

Prose narratives of fiction

A novel is a long, fictional story that involves several characters with an established motivation, different locations, and an intricate plot. Examples of novels include:

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Beloved by Tony Morrison

A novel is not the same as a novella , which is a shorter fictional account that ranges between 50-100 pages long. You’ve likely heard of novellas such as:

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Animal Farm by George Orwell

Lastly, the short story normally contains 1,000-10,000 words and focuses on one event or length of time, such as:

The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe
The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin

Prose narratives of nonfiction

Since nonfiction represents real people, experiences, or events, the most common prose narratives of nonfiction include:

Biographies
Autobiographies
Journals
Essays
Informational texts

Biographies and autobiographies

A biography is written about another person, while an autobiography’s author tells the story of their own life. Popular biographies include:

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

The difference between the two modes of nonfiction is further illustrated with autobiographies such as:

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass
I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood up for Education and Was Shot by Malala Yousafzai

Journals and letters

Journals , diaries , and letters provide a glimpse into someone’s life at a particular moment. Diaries and letters are great resources for historical contexts, and especially for periods involving war or political scandals.

Journal and letters examples:

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Ever Yours: The Essential Letters by Vincent van Gogh

Essay writing

By definition, an essay is a short piece of writing that explores a specific subject, such as philosophy, science, or current events. We read essays within magazines, websites, scholarly journals, or through a published collection of essays.

Essay examples:

Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace
The Source of Self-Regard by Toni Morrison

Informational texts

Informational texts present clear, objective facts about a particular subject, and often take the form of periodicals, news articles, textbooks, printables, or instruction manuals. The difference between informational texts and biographical writing is that biographies possess a range of subjectivity toward a topic, while informational writing is purely educational.

Publishers of informational texts also tailor their writing toward an audience’s reading comprehension. For instance, instructions for first-grade reading levels use different vocabularies than a textbook for college students. The key similarity is that informational writing is clear and educational.

Genres of fiction vs. nonfiction

The French term genre means “kind” or “type,” and genres organize different styles, forms, or subjects of literature. Some sources believe fiction is categorized by genre fiction and literary fiction , while others believe that literary fiction is a subgenre of fiction itself. The same arguments exist within nonfiction genres, except nonfiction is organized by subject matter or writing style.

Whichever way you look at it, all nonfiction and fiction have distinct genres and subgenres that overlap, and there’s no single way to categorize literature without spurring controversy. If you’re ever doubtful about a particular book, try checking the publisher’s website.

What is literary fiction ?

If we stick to the dry characteristics of literary fiction , we can define it as any writing that produces an underlying commentary on the human condition. More specifically, literary fiction often involves a metaphorical , poetic narrative or critique around topics such as war, gender, race, sex, economy, or political ideologies.

Literary fiction examples:

Quicksand by Nella Larsen
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
The Sellout by Paul Beatty

What is genre fiction ?

Broadly speaking, genre fiction (or popular fiction ) is any writing with a specific theme and the author’s marketability toward a particular audience (aka, the novel is likely a part of a book series). The most common genres of “ genre fiction ” include:

Science Fiction
Suspense/Thriller

Crime fiction and mystery

Crime fiction and mystery novels focus on the motivation of police, detectives, or criminals during an investigation. Four major subgenres of crime fiction and mystery include detective novels, cozy mysteries, caper stories, and police procedurals.

Crime fiction and mystery examples:

The Godfather by Mario Puzo
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson

The fantasy genre traditionally occurs in medieval-esque settings and often includes mythical creatures such as wizards, elves, and dragons.

Fantasy examples:

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

The romance genre features stories about romantic relationships with a focus on intimate details. Romance themes often involve betrayal or heroism and elements of sensuality, idealism, morality, and desire.

Romance examples:

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

Science fiction

Science fiction is one of the largest growing genres because it encompasses several subgenres, such as dystopian, apocalyptic, superhero, or space travel themes. All sci-fi novels incorporate real or imagined scientific concepts within the past, future, or a different dimension of time.

Science fiction examples:

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

Suspense and horror

Sometimes described as two separate genres, suspense and horror writing focuses on the pursuit and escape of a main character or villain. Suspense writing uses cliffhangers to “grip” readers, but we can distinguish the horror genre through supernatural, demonic, or occult themes.

Suspense and horror examples:

The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
The Shining by Stephen King

Genres of nonfiction

Finally, we meet again in the nonfiction section. When it comes to nonfiction literature, the most common genres include:

Autobiography/Biography (see “prose narratives” )

Narrative nonfiction

A memoir recounts the memories and experiences for a specific timeline in an author’s life. But unlike an autobiography, a memoir is less chronological and depends on memories and emotions rather than fact-checked research.

Memoir examples:

Wild by Cheryl Strayed
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Self-help writing focuses on delivering a lesson plan for self-improvement. Authors of self-help books describe experiences like a memoir, but the overall purpose is to teach readers a skill that the author possesses.

Self-help examples:

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

The expository genre introduces or “ exposes ,” a complex subject to readers in an understandable manner. Expository books often take the form of children’s books to provide a clear, educational summary on topics such as history and science.

Examples of adult vs. children’s expository books include:

Death by Black Hole by Neil deGrasse Tyson
A Black Hole is Not a Hole by Carolyn Cinami Decristofano

Narrative nonfiction (or “ creative nonfiction ”) tells a true story in the form of literary fiction. In this case, the author presents an autobiography or biography with an emphasis on storytelling over chronology.

The line between creative nonfiction and literary fiction is thin when the narrative’s presentation is too subjective, and when specific facts are omitted or exaggerated. Literary scholars refer to such works as “ faction ,” a portmanteau word for writing that blurs the line between fiction and nonfiction (Murfin 177).

Narrative nonfiction examples:

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

Additional resources for nonfiction vs. fiction ?

Understanding the elements of fiction vs. nonfiction writing is a common core standard for language arts (ELA) programs. If you’re looking to learn specific forms of fiction and nonfiction writing, The Word Counter provides additional articles, such as:

Transition Words: How, When, and Why to Use Them
What Are the Most Cringe-Worthy English Grammar Mistakes?
Italics and Underlining: Titles of Books

Test Yourself!

Before you visit your next writing workshop, class discussion, or literacy center, test how well you understand the difference between fiction and nonfiction with the following multiple-choice questions (no peeking into Google!)

True or false: An author’s imagination does not invent nonfiction writing. a. True b. False
Which term is synonymous with fiction? a. Fact b. Fable c. Reality d. None of the above
Which is a type of nonfiction writing? a. Novels b. Memoirs c. Novellas d. Short stories
Which is not a trait of literary fiction? a. Underlying commentary on the human condition b. Poetic narrative c. Social and political commentary d. None of the above
Which genre of nonfiction is the closest to literary fiction? a. Memoirs b. Expository c. Narrative nonfiction d. Self-help

Photo credits:

[1] Photo by Suad Kamardeen on Unsplash [2] Photo by Jonathan J. Castellon on Unsplash

“ Essay .” Lexico , Oxford University Press, 2020.
“ Fiction .” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., 2020.
MasterClass. “ What Is the Mystery Genre? Learn About Mystery and Crime Fiction, Plus 6 Tips for Writing a Mystery Novel .” MasterClass , 15 Aug 2019.
Mazzeo, T.J. “ Writing Creative Nonfiction .” The Great Courses , 2012, pp.4.
Murfin, R., Supryia M. Ray. “ The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms .” Third Ed, Bedford/St. Martins , 2009, pp. 177-340.
“ Nonfiction .” Lexico , Oxford University Press, 2020.World Heritage Encyclopedia. “ List of Literary Genres .” World Library Foundation , 2020.

Alanna Madden

Alanna Madden is a freelance writer and editor from Portland, Oregon. Alanna specializes in data and news reporting and enjoys writing about art, culture, and STEM-related topics. I can be found on Linkedin .

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Genre Confusion: Memoir vs. Nonfiction Narrative

August 5, 2013 // by Janet Grant // 37 Comments

Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant

I regularly hear writers, agents and even editors misidentify what they are talking about when the discussion turns to narrative nonfiction and memoir.

The word memoir has developed cache in today’s market, which has resulted in many industry professionals using it as a catch-all word to communicate a personal story. But, in actuality, memoir is a subcategory of narrative nonfiction.

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

The manuscript is told as a story,
with characters (actual people),
a protagonist (generally the author or the subject of the book),
a character arc,
fleshed-out scenes,
and a story arc.

In other words, both memoir and narrative nonfiction use fiction techniques to put the reader into the moment of the story. Think Seabiscuit or Unbroken , both of which required immense research but are told as gripping stories. They are examples of narrative nonfiction.

Narrative nonfiction could tell a story as an objective, journalistic piece, such as Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood. A memoir would not take that approach but is subjective, based on the writer’s perspective of what happened.

A memoir consists of not only a factual story but also:

Generally is told in first person about an individual’s unique experience.
Is swathed in lavish language. Memoirs are expected to attain a certain literary quality. Which is why, when a standup comedian writes a “memoir,” it’s highly unlikely to qualify for that label. His or her book is more likely to be an autobiography. But we don’t use that label much nowadays because “memoirs” are more sought after.
Doesn’t usually tell the author’s entire life but instead portrays a snippet of it (the day the person happened to be in the twin towers and they fell down, then the aftermath in that person’s life).
Tend to be more introspective than other narrative nonfiction.

If you’d like to check out Flavorwire’s opinion of the 10 best memoirs ever written, look here .

What’s your favorite narrative nonfiction and/or memoir?

Why might it be important to correctly label your manuscript?

What’s the difference between memoir and narrative nonfiction? Click to tweet.

Why do most publishers and authors label a book “memoir,” even if it isn’t? Click to tweet .

Reader Interactions

Types of Nonfiction Books

Nonfiction books appeal to everyone. No matter your interests, you’ll be able to find a subject that fits your taste. Just like fiction, nonfiction, too, has a lot of different genres to choose from.

Examples of popular nonfiction genres:

Autobiography
Cultural Criticism/Responses
History/Law/Political
True Crime/Investigative
Self-help/Motivational
Coloring Books

Out of these types of nonfiction books, people often mix up memoir, autobiography, and biography. Why do they mix them up, though? Keep reading!

What is a Memoir?

Defining a memoir can be tricky. It can take a lot of shapes, and different authors will have different approaches when writing one. derived from the French word for “memory,” memoirs find roots in memory.

Differentiating between a memoir and an autobiography can be a bit tricky. Memoirs and autobiographies are often mixed up, and it’s not surprising why: both are about the life of the author. However, the main difference between the two is that memoirs do not span the entire life of the author. Usually connected by some sort of unifying theme, idea, or incident, memoirs tell stories and lessons learned from the author’s life without covering everything that happened from the writer’s birth until old age.

Some common themes you’ll encounter when reading memoirs:

Strength and overcoming obstacles
The power of faith/religion in the author’s life
Friendship and love

What is an Autobiography?

We’ve already covered that a memoir is comprised of stories or experiences from the life of the author that are tied together with an overarching theme or idea. An autobiography, however, usually tells the author’s life story, whether there’s a unifying theme or not.

Autobiographies are chronological, too. While memoirs can bounce around in time, autobiographies follow a strict timeline.

The terms autobiography and memoir are used so interchangeably that they’ve begun to lose distinction. Calling a book an autobiography when it is actually a memoir isn’t, at the end of the day, wrong . Memoirs are autobiographical. However, the next nonfiction genre we’re discussing cannot and should not be used interchangeably with these terms.

What is a Biography?

A biography is not the same thing as an autobiography, despite how often people attempt to use the terms interchangeably. They’re two entirely different genres, and the distinction is made in who is writing the story.

While an autobiography is a true story about the author’s own life, a biography is the story of an influential figure’s life written by another person. Most biographies are about well-known or famous influential figures. Popular biographies are written about presidents, movie stars, rock stars, political leaders, revolutionaries, etc.

What About Ghostwriters?

The whole autobiography/memoir vs. biography distinction gets a little hazy when a ghostwriter is involved. A ghostwriter is someone who is tasked with writing a book (or article or speech) while credit is given to another. Not just limited to nonfiction books, ghostwriters can help with any genre of writing. Many celebrities and other public figures use ghostwriters when publishing their autobiographies and memoirs, if they feel their writing isn’t strong enough but they nonetheless have a story to tell.

Ghostwriters do the actual writing, but they don’t get credit. Ghostwriters assist with the craft. Writing a book is hard, and not everyone can do it, even though many feel they have a story to tell. Despite the author not writing the book themselves (or writing it with assistance), they are the author, so the book would be considered an autobiography or memoir.

You may be asking yourself why anyone would want to ghostwrite a book if they do not receive credit for the work. The reason behind each ghostwriter’s decision to accept the job will vary. For some, the pay rate makes ghostwriting worthwhile. For others, it may be because of their relationship with the author.

Self-Publishing Nonfiction Books

At DiggyPOD, we print all types of nonfiction books. From cookbooks to memoirs, our multiple binding options, paper types, and cover styles make your nonfiction book endlessly customizable. You can self-publish any of the above types of nonfiction books with DiggyPOD. Our Print on Demand technology transforms your book from a PDF file on your computer to a beautiful book. You’ll be proud to sell, gift, or display that book on your bookshelf for all to see.

Our spiral bound printing is perfect for all types of nonfiction books that need to lay flat when open. This includes coloring books, cookbooks, and training manuals.

DiggyPOD’s paperback and hardcover binding styles make nonfiction books look beautiful. Perfect for any and all genres, check out our paperback and hardcover book printing.

Whatever your project, no matter the genre, DiggyPOD prints beautiful books. You’ll be so happy with the final product. Everything from paper type to margin size to cover design is entirely up to you, the author.

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poem. A poet in a Heian period kimono writes Japanese poetry during the Kamo Kyokusui No En Ancient Festival at Jonan-gu shrine on April 29, 2013 in Kyoto, Japan. Festival of Kyokusui-no Utage orignated in 1,182, party Heian era (794-1192).

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nonfictional prose , any literary work that is based mainly on fact, even though it may contain fictional elements. Examples are the essay and biography.

Defining nonfictional prose literature is an immensely challenging task. This type of literature differs from bald statements of fact, such as those recorded in an old chronicle or inserted in a business letter or in an impersonal message of mere information. As used in a broad sense, the term nonfictional prose literature here designates writing intended to instruct (but does not include highly scientific and erudite writings in which no aesthetic concern is evinced), to persuade, to convert, or to convey experience or reality through “factual” or spiritual revelation. Separate articles cover biography and literary criticism .

Nonfictional prose genres cover an almost infinite variety of themes, and they assume many shapes. In quantitative terms, if such could ever be valid in such nonmeasurable matters, they probably include more than half of all that has been written in countries having a literature of their own. Nonfictional prose genres have flourished in nearly all countries with advanced literatures. The genres include political and polemical writings, biographical and autobiographical literature, religious writings, and philosophical, and moral or religious writings.

After the Renaissance, from the 16th century onward in Europe, a personal manner of writing grew in importance. The author strove for more or less disguised self-revelation and introspective analysis, often in the form of letters, private diaries, and confessions. Also of increasing importance were aphorisms after the style of the ancient Roman philosophers Seneca and Epictetus, imaginary dialogues , and historical narratives, and later, journalistic articles and extremely diverse essays. From the 19th century, writers in Romance and Slavic languages especially, and to a far lesser extent British and American writers, developed the attitude that a literature is most truly modern when it acquires a marked degree of self-awareness and obstinately reflects on its purpose and technique. Such writers were not content with imaginative creation alone: they also explained their work and defined their method in prefaces, reflections, essays, self-portraits, and critical articles. The 19th-century French poet Charles Baudelaire asserted that no great poet could ever quite resist the temptation to become also a critic : a critic of others and of himself. Indeed, most modern writers, in lands other than the United States , whether they be poets, novelists, or dramatists, have composed more nonfictional prose than poetry, fiction , or drama. In the instances of such monumental figures of 20th-century literature as the poets Ezra Pound , T.S. Eliot , and William Butler Yeats , or the novelists Thomas Mann and André Gide , that part of their output may well be considered by posterity to be equal in importance to their more imaginative writing.

It is virtually impossible to attempt a unitary characterization of nonfictional prose. The concern that any definition is a limitation, and perhaps an exclusion of the essential, is nowhere more apposite than to this inordinately vast and variegated literature. Ever since the ancient Greek and Roman philosophers devised literary genres , some critics have found it convenient to arrange literary production into kinds or to refer it to modes.

Obviously, a realm as boundless and diverse as nonfictional prose literature cannot be characterized as having any unity of intent, of technique, or of style. It can be defined, very loosely, only by what it is not. Many exceptions, in such a mass of writings, can always be brought up to contradict any rule or generalization. No prescriptive treatment is acceptable for the writing of essays, of aphorisms, of literary journalism , of polemical controversy, of travel literature, of memoirs and intimate diaries. No norms are recognized to determine whether a dialogue , a confession, a piece of religious or of scientific writing, is excellent, mediocre , or outright bad, and each author has to be relished, and appraised, chiefly in his own right. “The only technique,” the English critic F.R. Leavis wrote in 1957, “is that which compels words to express an intensively personal way of feeling.” Intensity is probably useful as a standard; yet it is a variable, and often elusive , quality, possessed by polemicists and by ardent essayists to a greater extent than by others who are equally great. “Loving, and taking the liberties of a lover” was Virginia Woolf ’s characterization of the 19th-century critic William Hazlitt ’s style: it instilled passion into his critical essays. But other equally significant English essayists of the same century, such as Charles Lamb or Walter Pater , or the French critic Hippolyte Taine , under an impassive mask, loved too, but differently. Still other nonfictional writers have been detached, seemingly aloof, or, like the 17th-century French epigrammatist La Rochefoucauld, sarcastic. Their intensity is of another sort.

Prose that is nonfictional is generally supposed to cling to reality more closely than that which invents stories, or frames imaginary plots. Calling it “realistic,” however, would be a gross distortion. Since nonfictional prose does not stress inventiveness of themes and of characters independent of the author’s self, it appears in the eyes of some moderns to be inferior to works of imagination. In the middle of the 20th century an immensely high evaluation was placed on the imagination, and the adjective “imaginative” became a grossly abused cliché. Many modern novels and plays, however, were woefully deficient in imaginative force, and the word may have been bandied about so much out of a desire for what was least possessed. Many readers are engrossed by travel books, by descriptions of exotic animal life, by essays on the psychology of other nations, by Rilke’s notebooks or by Samuel Pepys’s diary far more than by poetry or by novels that fail to impose any suspension of disbelief. There is much truth in Oscar Wilde ’s remark that “the highest criticism is more creative than creation and the primary aim of the critic is to see the object as in itself it really is not.” A good deal of imagination has gone not only into criticism but also into the writing of history , of essays, of travel books, and even of the biographies or the confessions that purport to be true to life as it really happened, as it was really experienced.

The imagination at work in nonfictional prose, however, would hardly deserve the august name of “primary imagination” reserved by the 19th-century English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge to creators who come close to possessing semidivine powers. Rather, imagination is displayed in nonfictional prose in the fanciful invention of decorative details, in digressions practiced as an art and assuming a character of pleasant nonchalance, in establishing a familiar contact with the reader through wit and humour. The variety of themes that may be touched upon in that prose is almost infinite. The treatment of issues may be ponderously didactic and still belong within the literary domain. For centuries, in many nations, in Asiatic languages, in medieval Latin, in the writings of the humanists of the Renaissance, and in those of the Enlightenment, a considerable part of literature has been didactic . The concept of art for art’s sake is a late and rather artificial development in the history of culture , and it did not reign supreme even in the few countries in which it was expounded in the 19th century. The ease with which digressions may be inserted in that type of prose affords nonfictional literature a freedom denied to writing falling within other genres. The drawback of such a nondescript literature lies in judging it against any standard of perfection, since perfection implies some conformity with implicit rules and the presence, however vague, of standards such as have been formulated for comedy, tragedy, the ode, the short story and even (in this case, more honoured in the breach than the observance) the novel . The compensating grace is that in much nonfictional literature that repudiates or ignores structure the reader is often delighted with an air of ease and of nonchalance and with that rarest of all virtues in the art of writing: naturalness.

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Education and Communications

How Can You Tell Fiction & Nonfiction Apart?

Last Updated: March 20, 2024 Fact Checked

Fiction & Nonfiction in a Nutshell

What is fiction, what is nonfiction.

This article was reviewed by Gerald Posner and by wikiHow staff writer, Aly Rusciano . Gerald Posner is an Author & Journalist based in Miami, Florida. With over 35 years of experience, he specializes in investigative journalism, nonfiction books, and editorials. He holds a law degree from UC College of the Law, San Francisco, and a BA in Political Science from the University of California-Berkeley. He’s the author of thirteen books, including several New York Times bestsellers, the winner of the Florida Book Award for General Nonfiction, and has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History. He was also shortlisted for the Best Business Book of 2020 by the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 11,590 times.

So, fiction and nonfiction. What’s the deal with them? They both have “fiction” in them, so they must be the same thing, right? Well, not exactly. Fiction and nonfiction are the 2 main genres we use to tell stories, and although they have some things in common, they couldn’t be any more different. We’ve put the genres head-to-head in this article, so you can learn to tell them apart. Keep scrolling because you may just find that you're a fiction or nonfiction lover.

Things You Should Know

If something’s make-believe, it’s fiction. If something’s real, it’s nonfiction.
A story with real-life characters and events depicted factually is nonfiction, whereas a story that stretches the truth of a real-life event is fiction.
Fiction and nonfiction works can be similar in tone because they can share the same literary devices, such as similes, metaphors, imagery, and more.

Fiction and nonfiction are storytelling genres.

Think of it like this: when you write an essay, you’re writing nonfiction; when you write a short story with you as the main character, you’re writing fiction .

In fiction, the plot, settings, and characters are made up.

Fiction is often subjective, meaning it’s greatly influenced by a storyteller’s personal feelings and opinions.
A fictional story can be given in different points of view (first person, third person, etc.).
Fictional storytellers use descriptive language and literary devices like similes, metaphors, and personification to put their audience in their story.
Ted Lasso (2020)
Law & Order (1990 - present)
Stranger Things (2022)
Dune (2021)
Back to the Future (1984)
You’ve Got Mail (1998)
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

In nonfiction, the story is based on facts.

Nonfiction is generally objective, as facts are given to reach a conclusion.
A nonfiction piece of work follows the storyteller’s personal point of view or that of another individual.
Nonfiction books tend to have glossaries, bibliographies, or an index.
The purpose of nonfiction is to entertain, inform, and/or persuade. [5] X Research source
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
Educated by Tara Westover
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
The Last Dance (2020)
Tell Me Who I Am (2019)
Miss Americana (2020)
“I Have A Dream” by Martin Luther King, Jr.
“The Ballot or the Bullet” by Malcolm X

Expert Q&A

There are multiple subgenres of fiction and nonfiction, but the same rules apply: if something’s real, it’s nonfiction; if something’s made up, it’s fiction. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
If you watch a movie or read a book that says “based on true events,” it doesn’t mean it’s a work of nonfiction. It simply explains that the writer was inspired by something that happened in real life and stretched the truth to fit their narrative. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1

↑ https://www.jstor.org/stable/429900
↑ https://www.britannica.com/art/fiction-literature
↑ https://human.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Literature_and_Literacy/Writing_and_Critical_Thinking_Through_Literature_(Ringo_and_Kashyap)/04%3A_About_Fiction-_Short_Stories_and_the_Novel/4.01%3A_What_is_Fiction
↑ https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/non-fiction
↑ https://youtu.be/OZdd5i9qGZk?t=235

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Fact vs. Fantasy: Understanding Fiction and Non-Fiction

Greetings from the fascinating world of storytelling ! Do you like to immerse yourself in fictional realms or look for lessons in the here and now? In either case, stories have the fantastic ability to focus our attention and offer fresh viewpoints. But wait a moment. Have you ever paused to consider the distinctions between fiction and nonfiction ? Or questioned which was superior? What about those fascinating instances where the differences between the two appear misty? Stay with us as we investigate these exciting questions!

Visualize the colorful sights and noises as you stroll through a busy market, your eyes darting from one bright stall to the next. The atmosphere becomes suddenly buzzing with enthusiasm. A crowd is gathering, and murmurs and hand motions suggest something exceptional. Intrigued? To get a better view, you need to navigate the crowd. A vendor seems to have everyone’s attention as they aggressively promote the book. How is that possible? You become intrigued by the tense atmosphere. But not just any book – this one claims to reveal the shocking truth about a famous historical event. The cover is proclaimed with the words “ nonfiction ,” but you start having doubts as you flip through the pages. The dialogue seems too perfect, and the descriptions too flashy. Could the author have taken some liberties with the truth?

This scenario depicts the significance of comprehending the differences between fiction and nonfiction. While nonfiction and fiction are excellent in their unique ways, they offer us quite different things and require different skills from writers and readers. They both have the capacity to uplift, instruct, and amuse us, but they approach it in various ways. Nonfiction exposes us to the truth based on data from research and other reliable sources. We can let our imaginations run wild while reading fiction and makeup stories that may or may not have parts of reality in them.

You’ll better understand what makes each type of tale so distinctive by learning about the remarkable differences between fiction and nonfiction. You’ll know how storytelling positively alters our perception of the world. Furthermore, you’ll observe how authors employ language, structure their narratives, and elicit particular emotions from their readers. Besides, you’ll also appreciate how much fiction and nonfiction can enrich your life and expand your perspective.

Whether you choose to read exclusively fiction or love dipping into both, be ready for a fascinating voyage across the worlds of nonfiction and fiction. Strap in, pay attention to the details, and get ready to discover what distinguishes these two. It will be a fascinating and enjoyable journey!


	Fiction is a narrative based on imagination, not tethered to facts or actual events.	Fiction is a narrative based on imagination, not tethered to facts or actual events.
	Subjective	Objective
	Yes	No
	Readers engage with abstract themes.	Information is presented directly and clearly.
	To entertain	To educate or inform
	Optional	Mandatory
	Narrator or Character	Author

What is Fiction Writing?

Many people have found it difficult to understand, which has inspired some of the greatest literary masterpieces. Fiction is created when a ghostwriting expert uses imagination to create a narrative. Everything in the story, including the characters and what happens, is purely fictitious and not based on actual events.

The characteristics of fiction writing are as mixed as the authors’ imaginations. From science fiction to romance to fantasy , the possibilities are limitless. What separates fiction is the author’s capability to develop a world, characters, and events that fascinate readers and draw them in. Clear descriptions and entertaining analogies may transport readers to the action and allow them to experience the highs and lows of the characters.

Do you wish to comprehend the nature of fiction?

Think of enduring series like Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling , Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin, or The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. These epic tales contain interesting people, breathtaking settings, and intriguing plots that compel you to want more.

But what sets fiction writing apart is the role of fantasy and inventiveness. Writers create original worlds and characters by using their imagination. Sometimes, they even draw inspiration from actual events or people they know. Their stories stand out and are distinctive from those of other authors because of their creative magic.

Fiction’s ability to teleport readers to another world, time, and existence makes it persuasive. It’s a path for readers to ditch their everyday, boring routine and engage in a new and thrilling tale. Therefore, a made-up story is waiting to capture your imagination and take you on an incredible journey, whether you enjoy love stories, horror tales, or space adventures.

What is Nonfiction Writing?

What is nonfiction writing? It’s the opposite of fiction, describing a story based on actual events and facts. Nonfiction writing can cover many subjects, from history and science to memoirs and autobiographies . The point that nonfiction is based on real people, events, and locations is crucial.

Want to sample some excellent nonfiction? Check out “Becoming” by Michelle Obama, “The Power Broker” by Robert Caro, or “Sapiens” by Yuval Noah Harari. These books are renowned for being extremely well-researched, providing a compelling, accurate tale, and going in-depth into their topics.

The importance of factual accuracy and research sets nonfiction writing apart from fiction. While nonfiction authors are tethered to the realm of facts, diligently researching and cross-referencing to ensure accuracy, fiction writers have the creative license to let their imaginations soar freely.

Erik Larson’s book “The Devil in the White City” is a fantastic illustration of accurately presenting the facts in nonfiction. It discusses a sizable fair that took place in Chicago in 1893 and H.H. Holmes, the nation’s first serial killer. Larson put a lot of effort into researching this book. He conversed with authorities on the period and read ancient newspapers, letters, and even diaries. This makes the book a page-turner as well as a trustworthy source of historical data.

Nonfiction may be really imaginative and exciting to read, even when it adheres to the facts. They use innovative approaches like storytelling, graphic descriptions, and appealing characters to bring their topics to life. Nonfiction may be just as exciting and entertaining as any made-up story by a talented author.

Fiction or Nonfiction: Exploring Two Worlds of Storytelling

Love to read? Which do you prefer when choosing your next book—a narrative or something real? Finding the proper text for your emotions might be made more accessible by understanding the differences between fiction and nonfiction. We’ll discuss the significant differences between these two categories of books in this blog, such as what occurs, who is involved, and the setting. So, let’s dive into the fantastic world of fiction and nonfiction books!

In a fiction book, the plot is an attentively shaped storyline designed by the author. It usually follows a traditional narrative structure, like an introduction, rising action, climax, collapsing action, and resolution. The plot may include a conflict, a hero, or protagonist, and an enemy. The author may also use literary devices such as foreshadowing, flashbacks, and symbolism to improve the storyline.

In nonfiction, the author does not create the plot. It is based on historical events and facts that actually occurred. The author presents the events logically and compellingly, which grips the reader’s mind. Nonfiction may not have a traditional narrative structure but follow a chronological or thematic order.

Characters really set fiction and nonfiction apart. In fiction, the author gets to create the characters from scratch. They give them unique personalities, histories, and motivations. Readers often get emotionally hooked, feeling like they’re part of the characters’ adventures.

In nonfiction, the “characters” are real people. The author doesn’t create them but describes their lives, actions, and impact. Readers might still form emotional connections, but it’s more about understanding real people and events than diving into a made-up world.

The setting is where and when the story happens. In fiction, the author sets the stage where they feel their story is more associated. It may be a real place, such as New York City, or an imaginary world created by the author. The author may also use the setting of augmented reality to enhance the storyline and create a mood or atmosphere.

In nonfiction, the setting is a real place where the events occur. The author’s role is to portray the environment accurately and give it vitality for the reader. Nonfiction may include historical events that took place in precise locations, and the author should aspire to depict these settings accurately.

The style of writing is another meaningful difference between fiction and nonfiction. The author’s style may be poetic , descriptive, or use a unique voice in fiction. The author may use dialogue, symbolic language, and other literary devices to enhance the story’s style.

In nonfiction, it is the writer’s responsibility to maintain clarity and accessibility. They ought to present the information logically and understandably. It’s best to avoid using flowery or ambiguous wording because it can confuse the reader.

Target Audience

Fiction and nonfiction cater to distinct audiences with unique needs and expectations. Fiction is the realm of imagination, offering an escape into different worlds and experiences. The fiction genre casts a wide net, capturing the hearts of anyone who craves a compelling tale. From the wide-eyed child spellbound by magical fables to the teenager lost in the emotional rollercoasters of young adult fiction and even the adult entranced by intricate storylines and multidimensional characters—fiction has something for everyone. Whether your age, gender, or corner of the globe, fiction welcomes you into its diverse universe, offering a smorgasbord of options, be it historical love stories, edge-of-your-seat mysteries, or speculative journeys into the future.

In contrast, nonfiction resonates with those who thirst for knowledge or aspire to hone specific skills. This category has been created to serve a more niche market better. Students pore over textbooks to grasp academic concepts, professionals consult how-to guides to master new techniques, and researchers dig into scholarly articles to deepen their understanding of a subject. Nonfiction also captivates the everyday reader who finds joy in true stories, historical narratives, or the pursuit of personal growth. Serving as a rich repository of wisdom, nonfiction aims to educate and illuminate whether you’re an academic, an enthusiast, or simply someone on a quest for knowledge.

Themes that capture the human experience are explored in fiction across various settings, from the pages of history to the borders of tomorrow. A time machine that takes you back in time and immerses you in the sights and sounds of the past is what historical fiction does. On the other hand, science fiction transports you into a futuristic world full of cutting-edge concepts and undiscovered technologies. Fiction offers a realm as varied as our imaginations, whether solving puzzles or delving into love stories. Fantasy typically involves magic or supernatural elements, while romance focuses on relationships and emotions. Mystery and horror literature aims to keep you on the edge of your seat and frightened as you read.

Nonfiction includes a variety of genres, including news reports, brief pieces, life stories, and personal narratives. Life tales can be written by someone themselves (autobiographies) or about someone else (biographies). Memoirs focus on a specific aspect of the author’s life. Essays are quick reads about a particular topic or thought, whereas journalism keeps you informed of current events.

Impacts on the Reader’s Experience

The gap between fiction and nonfiction changes how you feel when reading. Fiction books take you to another place, let you get all emotional with made-up people, and give you a playground for your imagination. Nonfiction can familiarize readers, offering a window into past events and influential individuals, pushing them to question their assumptions and broaden their viewpoints.

Examples of Fiction and Nonfiction

Fiction examples:.

1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a classic example of fiction. It follows the story of Scout Finch, a young girl growing up in Alabama in the 1930s. The novel probes themes of discrimination, justice, and family and is a treasured classic that resonates with readers today.

2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a famous dystopian fiction series. It tracks the story of Katniss Everdeen, a young girl who must resist surviving in a deadly competition called The Hunger Games. The series explores themes of dominance, oppression, and survival.

Nonfiction Examples:

1. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot is a real-life story about a woman named Henrietta Lacks. Her cancer cells were taken without her saying it was okay and used in science experiments. The book gets you thinking about right and wrong, race, and how medical research has been done in the past.

2. “ Into Thin Air” by Jon Krakauer is about the author’s adventure climbing Mount Everest in 1996. The book explores the threats and challenges of climbing the world’s tallest mountain and the impact of commercialization on Everest trips.

When Fact Meets Fantasy: The Blend of Fiction and Nonfiction

In recent years, there has been a growing trend of blending the lines between fiction and nonfiction. This hybrid genre, sometimes called “creative nonfiction” or “narrative nonfiction,” aspires to reveal true stories using the strategies and devices of fiction. While this technique can lead to exciting and engaging works, it also questions the boundaries between reality and fantasy .

To understand how fiction and nonfiction can coexist, Erik Larson’s “The Devil in the White City” is the most significant source. It’s a best-selling novel about a big fair that happened in Chicago in 1893 and a real-life lousy guy who used the fair to amass victims. Even though the book is crammed with actual facts and research, Larson’s writing style gives the impression that you are reading a thrilling, made-up novel.

Combining factual and fiction could make nonfiction more convenient and appealing to a broader audience. Using Fictionalizing techniques like character evolution, dialogue, and scene-setting, writers can create a narrative that reads like a novel while staying true to the facts.

However, this approach also questions the boundaries between fiction and nonfiction. While some authors may take privileges with precise details or conversations to construct a page-turner narrative, others may cross the line into outright imagination. This can lead to indictments of plagiarism or deception, harming the work’s credibility as a whole.

Also, mixing both genres can be challenging for readers who need help differentiating between what is true and what is not. Others blur the borders to the point where it is difficult to distinguish where the truth ends and the fiction begins, and some hybrid works make it clear which parts are based on fact and which are fictitious.

What Are Some Evergreen Choices for Fiction and Nonfiction Books?

Imagine entering fantastical worlds with novels like “Harry Potter” by J.K. Rowling, sweeping sagas like “War and Peace” by Leo Tolstoy, or timeless love tales like “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen for a taste of fiction. If you’re more into real-life stuff, think about mind-benders like “On the Origin of Species” by Charles Darwin, time-twisters like “A Brief History of Time” by Stephen Hawking, or soul-searchers like “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Viktor E. Frankl.

Which Reigns Supreme: Fiction or Nonfiction?

There isn’t a predetermined response to this. Nonfiction and fiction each have their own distinctive flavors. If you’re drawn to imaginative worlds and storytelling, fiction might be you’re go-to. If you’re keen on learning factual information or exploring real-life stories, nonfiction could be more your speed.

Which Genre Tends to Be More Popular: Fiction or Nonfiction?

Popularity can fluctuate between fiction and nonfiction. Fiction often gains rapid popularity due to its escapist qualities, while nonfiction may take longer to reach the same level of fame. However, both can be equally profitable and well-received over time.

You’ve been given a tour of this site’s differences between fiction and nonfiction and how they can occasionally coexist. As we’ve seen, while nonfiction provides us with the lowdown on life, fiction lets us journey through imaginative worlds. The significance of these kinds of tales cannot be emphasized, notwithstanding their variations. Nonfiction enlightens us about reality so we can make wise decisions, while fiction allows us to escape and dream large.

Even though it’s clear that fiction and nonfiction are different, we say go ahead and dive into both! Enjoy what makes each one special in its own way. Whether you prefer the escapism of fiction or the knowledge of nonfiction, both genres have something to offer. So why not pick up a classic novel or a recent work of investigative journalism and discover the power of storytelling for yourself?

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What is Fiction and Nonfiction?
Is Biography a Fiction or Nonfiction? Let’s Find Out!
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Here S The Main Difference Between Fiction And Nonfiction

COMMENTS

Biography
autobiography. hagiography. memoir. Costa Book Awards. character writer. biography, form of literature, commonly considered nonfictional, the subject of which is the life of an individual. One of the oldest forms of literary expression, it seeks to re-create in words the life of a human being—as understood from the historical or personal ...
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Is a biography fiction or nonfiction? A biography is a story intended to tell the true facts about the life of a real person. The biography definition in literature has three basic elements ...
Biography
A biography is the non- fiction, written history or account of a person's life. Biographies are intended to give an objective portrayal of a person, written in the third person. Biographers collect information from the subject (if he/she is available), acquaintances of the subject, or in researching other sources such as reference material ...
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Defining Creative Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Memoir, Autobiography, and Biography In this post, learn the definitions and differences between creative nonfiction, narrative nonfiction, memoir, autobiography, and biography so that you know which genre you're writing.
What Is the Difference Between Fiction and Nonfiction?
Nonfiction, by contrast, refers to factual stories about real people, places, and events. In works of nonfiction, authors relay accurate, verifiable information. These insights, experiences, or explanations are grounded in reality and are used to educate, persuade, or document true events and occurrences. The word nonfiction essentially means ...
1.9: The Difference Between Fiction and Nonfiction
Like fiction, non-fiction also has a sub-genre called "literary nonfiction" that refers to literature based on fact but written in creative way, making it as enjoyable to read as fiction. ... However, you may not be aware of the many types of nonfiction we would study, such as biography, memoir or autobiography, essays, speeches, and humor ...
Fiction vs. Nonfiction: Literature Types (Compared)
Nonfiction aims to inform and educate readers about real-life events, while fiction aims to entertain and engage readers through creative writing. Nonfiction may be limited by the availability of information, while fiction may require more imagination and creativity. 2. Determine the type of writing.
Memoir, Biography, Narrative Nonfiction—How Are They Different?
Memoir is a story based on your life experience and what you have learned from it. It is a winnowing of all that has happened into a tight view of a slim section of experience: the coming of age years; the head-spinning start of a career; early motherhood. But always, it is a winnowing of the vast, complicated arc of events that has constituted ...
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Fiction deals with made-up people or events. Nonfiction deals with real life. Fiction is also a word that is commonly used to describe anything that is not true, like wild accusations or patently false testimony. This article, though, is a work of nonfiction. Since fiction and false each begin with the letter F, remembering that a work of ...
Is Autobiography Fiction Or Nonfiction? (Detailed Comparison)
Nonfiction, like fiction, includes a wide range of books and genres. True stories are what connect all nonfiction works. Fiction is entire of an author's imagination (with some input from reality). As a result, nonfiction cannot be fabricated. In this blog, we'll look at if autobiography is fiction or nonfiction.
The Difference Between Fiction and Nonfiction
Like fiction, non-fiction also has a sub-genre called "literary nonfiction" that refers to literature based on fact but written in creative way, making it as enjoyable to read as fiction. ... However, you may not be aware of the many types of nonfiction we would study, such as biography, memoir or autobiography, essays, speeches, and humor ...
The Difference Between Fiction and Nonfiction
Histories, biographies, journalism, and essays are all considered nonfiction. Usually, nonfiction has a higher standard to uphold than fiction. A few smatterings of fact in a work of fiction does not make it true, while a few fabrications in a nonfiction work can force that story to lose all credibility. An example is when James Frey, author of ...
Fiction vs. Nonfiction: Key Differences Explained
Fiction refers to "something created in the imagination .". Therefore, fictional writing is based on events that the author made up rather than real ones. Nonfiction is "writing that revolves around facts, real people, and events that actually occurred .". Table of Contents.
Fiction vs nonfiction?: What's the difference?
A biography is written about another person, while an autobiography's author tells the story of their own life. Popular biographies include: Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer; ... Whichever way you look at it, all nonfiction and fiction have distinct genres and subgenres that overlap, and there's no single way to categorize literature without ...
Is The Biography A Work Of Fact Or Fiction? Musings From The Key ...
Biographies contain facts and historical documentation about the life of particular subject, and in this way meet the criteria for nonfiction. In a talk at the Key West Literary Seminar on ...
Genre Confusion: Memoir vs. Nonfiction Narrative
a protagonist (generally the author or the subject of the book), a character arc, fleshed-out scenes, and a story arc. In other words, both memoir and narrative nonfiction use fiction techniques to put the reader into the moment of the story. Think Seabiscuit or Unbroken, both of which required immense research but are told as gripping stories.
How does biography differ from historical fiction, and what do they
Expert Answers. The primary difference between the genres of biography and historical fiction is the factual accuracy of each story. A biographer attempts to craft a complete picture of a single ...
Understanding Narrative Nonfiction: Definition and Examples
The genre of narrative nonfiction requires heavy research, thorough exploration, and an aim to entertain while also sharing a true, compelling story. There are many ways to tell a story—some writers prefer to stick to the truth, some prefer to make up truths of their own, and some will settle somewhere in the middle. The genre of narrative ...
Types of Nonfiction Books: Memoir, Autobiography & Biography
When people think about publishing a book, they usually think about novels, i.e. fiction books —with genres such as mystery, romance, fantasy, historical, or science fiction — however a large percentage of bestsellers are in fact nonfiction books. Nonfiction, like fiction, covers a wide array of subjects and book types.
Nonfictional prose
nonfictional prose, any literary work that is based mainly on fact, even though it may contain fictional elements. Examples are the essay and biography. Defining nonfictional prose literature is an immensely challenging task. This type of literature differs from bald statements of fact, such as those recorded in an old chronicle or inserted in ...
Fiction vs. Nonfiction: What's the Difference?
If something's make-believe, it's fiction. If something's real, it's nonfiction. A story with real-life characters and events depicted factually is nonfiction, whereas a story that stretches the truth of a real-life event is fiction. Fiction and nonfiction works can be similar in tone because they can share the same literary devices ...
What is the difference between "fiction" and "nonfiction"?
"Fiction" refers to literature created from the imagination. Mysteries, science fiction, romance, fantasy, chick lit, crime thrillers are all fiction genres. Examples of classic fiction include To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, 1984 by George Orwell and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Our Fiction Department also has a large selection of popular ...
Fact vs. Fantasy: Understanding Fiction and Non-Fiction
The style of writing is another meaningful difference between fiction and nonfiction. The author's style may be poetic, descriptive, or use a unique voice in fiction. The author may use dialogue, symbolic language, and other literary devices to enhance the story's style. In nonfiction, it is the writer's responsibility to maintain clarity ...