nonfiction

/ˈnɑnˌfɪkʃən/

/nɒnˈfɪkʃɪn/

When you read nonfiction, you're reading about something that really happened — it's not a story somebody made up.

Prose is divided into the two big categories of fiction and nonfiction, and nonfiction includes all kinds of things — biographies, histories, memoirs, how-to books, self-help, books on business, even books on writing. Narrative nonfiction relates stories that really happened but in a way that draws you in just like fiction does; it tells a true story, but with lots of drama and all the interesting quirks of the characters.

Definitions of nonfiction

1. noun

   prose writing that is not fictional
   synonyms: nonfictional prose

   types:

   article

   nonfictional prose forming an independent part of a publication

   column, editorial, newspaper column

   an article giving opinions or perspectives

   feature, feature article

   a special or prominent article in a newspaper or magazine

   magazine article

   an article published in a magazine

   news article, news story, newspaper article

   an article reporting news

   offprint, reprint, separate

   a separately printed article that originally appeared in a larger publication

   paper

   a scholarly article describing the results of observations or stating hypotheses

   think piece

   an article in a newspaper or magazine or journal that represents opinions and ideas and discussion rather than bare facts

   type of:

   prose

   ordinary writing as distinguished from verse