Non-Fiction

There are many different types of non-fiction (factual) writing, such as newspapers, adverts, brochures, reference books (books about particular subjects) and biographies (books about the life of a particular person).
Although all these types of books are about facts, they each have their own style. When you are writing non-fiction it's important to use a style of writing that fits the subject.
Newspapers
Newspaper stories always start with a headline that catches your attention and tells you what the story is about. The first paragraph then summarises (sums up) the whole story briefly. The rest of the story gives the reader all the details.

Some newspapers are chatty and informal and use terrible puns (word play) in their headlines.
Newspaper headline: Council splashes out on new swimming pool

Adverts and brochures
Adverts use persuasive writing to get you to buy things. Because people are trying to make their products sound good, you’ll hear lots of positive, persuasive words such as:

* great
* free
* improved
* new
* brilliant
* exclusive

Although an advert should be factual (true), the writer probably won’t tell you what is bad about the product they are selling.

Adverts and brochures tend to use glossy photographs of what they are selling. When you see pictures of people in adverts they are often smiling to show how happy they are with the product.

Reference books
skeleton with skull, clavicle, humerous and ribs labelled
Reference books usually focus on a particular subject (for example, plants, history or science) and should have a clear, straightforward style.

Information in reference books is organised to make things easy to find, for example, a dictionary is organised alphabetically.
Many reference books have an index - an alphabetical list of all the things you’ll find in the book and on what page.
Reference books often include labelled illustrations to give the reader even more information about the subject.

History books and biographies
People writing about history and people’s lives (biographies) will often use an informal style of writing to make the subject more interesting. The writer may try to describe how people from the past felt and not just list what they did on a particular date. You’ll find lots of descriptive language (adjectives and adverbs) in this sort of writing.
A non-fiction book can be as descriptive and atmospheric as a novel (fictional story) but it must be based on fact.

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