Elements of Fiction and Nonfiction

​tells about made-up people or animals, called characters: The characters experience a series of made-up events, called the plot; the plot takes place at a certain real or imagined time in a certain real or imagined location, which is the setting; the plot also contains a problem, or conflict, that characters must solve

​tells about real people, animals, places,

things, events, and ideas; presents facts and discusses ideas; may reflect the historical context of its time by making references to current events, society, and culture

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may be told from the perspective of a character in the story (first-person point of view) or a narrator outside the story (third-person point of view)

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is told from the perspective of the author

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takes the form of short stories, novellas, novels

​takes the form of biographies, autobiographies, memoirs, letters, journals, diaries, essays, articles, textbooks, and documents, such as application forms and instructions

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to explain, inform, persuade, or entertain

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to explain, inform, persuade, or entertain