The difference between nonfiction and fiction is that fiction must be absolutely believable.” The ever witty Mark Twain said this, and his pointed remark indicated that the world he experienced centuries ago was just as baffling as ours is today. Another famous quote says that truth is stranger than fiction. But if you’re a writer, you may be wondering what the difference between fiction and nonfiction really is. Once you understand the key distinctions of fiction vs non fiction, you can decide what type of writer you want to be.
Fiction vs nonfiction meaning
First, let’s define fiction vs. nonfiction
What is fiction vs nonfiction? Fiction is the first thing many people think of when we talk about writing, but there are many famous nonfiction writers as well. What is the difference between fiction and non-fiction?
NONFICTION VS FICTION
What is the difference between fiction and nonfiction?
In the simplest terms, nonfiction is true, and fiction is fake.
To expand on that, fictional stories come from the author’s imagination. The story, characters, and events didn’t really happen, but were imagined and transcribed by the writer. They may be inspired by true events, but they aren’t a true story - it’s all made up.
Nonfiction is the complete opposite. Nonfiction stories are true. The events really happened! The places and settings are real, and the characters are real people who either were or are living.
Let’s look at some fiction vs nonfiction examples to help you understand the meaning of nonfiction and fiction. The story of Harry Potter, a young boy who finds out he is a magical wizard, is a fiction book. Harry isn’t a real person, and the events of the books didn’t really happen.
Meanwhile, the book “Into Thin Air” by John Kraukauer, which tells the story of his experience on Mount Everest, is nonfiction. Krakauer is a real person, and the events he is writing about really happened.
Take a look below at a few more fiction vs nonfiction examples to truly understand the difference.
Examples of fiction:
“Harry Potter” by J.K. Rowling
“Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott
“Pride & Prejudice” by Jane Austen
Examples of nonfiction:
“The Diary of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank
“Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson
“Into Thin Air” by Jon Kraukauer
Fiction vs nonfiction
Fiction based on a true story
Now you understand the meaning of nonfiction and fiction. But sometimes, authors want to write stories inspired by real things that happened. This type of story is what’s known as “based on a true story.” The story is still fiction because the characters and situations didn’t actually happen, but the author is using a real event as inspiration for their fictional story.
For example, the Titanic was a real boat that actually did tragically sink. However, the story depicted in James Cameron’s movie Titanic is a fictional story. Jack and Rose are characters that have similarities to real passengers on the Titanic, but they aren’t real people. They didn’t really exist, but instead came from Cameron’s imagination. The move shows aspects of true events that happened, but the story itself and its two main characters are fiction.
Additionally, while there are real people depicted in the movie, Cameron is fictionalizing them. Cameron himself wasn’t on the Titanic, and he isn’t claiming the things these characters say or do in his movie are actually what happened. Instead, he’s taking artistic license to dramatize his story. It has true elements, yes, but unlike something like a documentary, it’s still a work of fiction.
Jack and Rose are not real people
Fiction vs. nonfiction
Fiction or nonfiction
What kind of story do you want to tell? Being a nonfiction versus fiction writer can change what the medium of your storytelling is. While fiction and nonfiction writers both write books, nonfiction writers often come from the journalism world. Many podcasts are nonfiction, documenting a true story through multiple episodes. In the film world, nonfiction writers can create documentaries, which require research, interviews, and examining a true event or person to tell its story.
Understanding fiction versus nonfiction
Meanwhile, fiction writers can write novels or short stories, but they can also write feature movies, which are called narrative fiction, or fictional television shows.
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Adapting a true story
Maybe you’ve decided that fiction is what you want to write, but you are inspired by a person or event that really happened. In this case, you’ll want to adapt a true story into fiction, either for the screen or for a book. Read on to learn how!
