Writing Fact or Fiction?
Most aspiring authors have ideas and creativity that need to be managed. Yes, you could write about the space-time continuum or another dimension, spirits or the abstract, but if you are an entrepreneur, perhaps it is a better idea to start writing about the things you really know, so you can get ahold of your form and style as a writer. This doesn’t negate your ability to know about various things. It just focus on what you know best.
The work of fiction is created in the imagination of its author. The author invents the story, characters, plot, storyline, dialogue and setting. For example, novels, novelas, etc. Nonfiction is a branch of literature comprising of works of narrative dealing with opinions, conjectures and reality. Examples are biographies, history, essays, etc. More often than not, people write a blend of fact and fiction by bringing in factual elements into their novels or by bringing in their imagination into their nonfiction books.
To further explain where the line is drawn, literature that is fiction is literature that is imagined. Nonfiction on the other hand, is literature based on facts. Fiction can be based on actual events, be subjective and drive different points of view. In other words, fiction deals with your interior. Nonfiction deals with your exterior, therefore it shouldn’t be fabricated, it must be objective and the point of view is set by the author based solely on factual reality.
As someone who has written and continues to write nonfiction and fiction books, I must say that non-fiction books sell really well and are typically much easier to write than fiction books. Now, with all that said, my fiction novel has a much larger footprint than my how-to books.
If you’re interested in writing fiction, I strongly suggest you join the NaNoWriMo challenge. NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month and November has been “named” as the official month for the challenge to write a novel in 30 days. Also, the Writer’s Digest Magazine is a good resource as it is mostly about fiction writing. Frankly put, if you have a story stirring inside of you, you’ve got to get it out. Often one out of every 500,000 or so novelists get lucky and make The New York Times Best Seller List. More often than not, they enter an award contest, such as, the New York Best Sellers Award for the bragging rights.
But, what if your experiences are needed by other people? Perhaps experiences learned while visiting another country, experiences related to your profession – trade secrets or experiences you acquired during a life event you witnessed. Whatever the case may be, why not organize that into a book. Share it with people that could benefit from your story. That’s non-fiction.
| Fiction | Nonfiction |
| “Story” “Make believe”
Read to ENJOY. Uses literary elements, such as, plot, setting, theme, characterization, point of view, conflict. Doesn’t always give the reader information directly, but rather, it infers or draw conclusions. Great as Entertainment. |
“Fact” “True information”
Read to LEARN. Uses text features, tables, charts, lists, pictures, diagrams, timelines, labels, etc. Can be read in any order and information is given directly to the reader. Great as Information. |
“The difference between fiction and fact is that fiction has to make sense”
Douglas DoNascimento
At Briggs & Schuster, we require only 10 sample pages of your nonfiction book to determined if we want to publish your book or not. But, what if you just have an idea? What if you are not a writer, but want to tell a story and publish a book? We have solutions that will amaze you and often surprize everyone that engages with us. We are different. We collaborate and facilitate growth as you pursue your passion, make a difference and earn a living with your own stories. Let us help you become a published author in a matter of a few months. That’s our guarantee. Email us at: contact@bsa.im