How Can You Tell Fiction & Nonfiction Apart?

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Comparing and contrasting the 2 genres so you can point out their differences
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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.
Section 1 of 3:

Fiction & Nonfiction in a Nutshell

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    We classify books, movies, and television shows with these genres to say, “This is real” or “This is fake.” As a general rule, something that has any element of make-believe (whether that’s dragons or a character that isn’t real) is fiction, and anything that’s 100% factual is nonfiction. [1]
    • 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 .
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Section 2 of 3:

What is fiction?

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    This popular genre is imaginative and created by the storyteller. [2] Yes, real-life events or people may influence the story, but it isn’t factual. The creator typically makes the story up in their head for entertainment purposes. [3]
    • 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.
    • Many of the movies, television shows, and books you love are fictional. See if you recognize any of these fiction titles:
      • 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
Section 3 of 3:

What is nonfiction?

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    Although nonfiction follows many of the same literary devices as fiction, it showcases true events and history. For something to be nonfiction, it has to be 100% factual. A flair for the dramatics or a bit of creative language can help make the story more appealing, but it must be true all the way through and not invented. [4]
    • 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]
    • Newspapers, biographies, autobiographies, history books, speeches, and documentaries are usually nonfiction. Here are some titles you may recognize:
      • 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
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      Tips

      • 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.
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      • 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.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.jstor.org/stable/429900
      2. ↑ https://www.britannica.com/art/fiction-literature
      3. ↑ 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
      4. ↑ https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/non-fiction
      5. ↑ https://youtu.be/OZdd5i9qGZk?t=235

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