Just finished reading a non-fiction book. It's called DIRT. It's about SOIL and how human agricultural methods have been eroding it since the dawn of agriculture. It's led to the collapse of past civilizations and could be our demise as well.
It's about logic. It showcases cause and effect of human activity on physical objects.
A fiction book example: A guy spends an amazing night with a girl. She pursues him after that one night of passion but he keeps rebuffing her. He ends up dating her but sleeps around and treats her like garbage. For reasons dispelled in the book he can't find the ability to love a woman. He's been hurt by a past lover and won't let his heart be broken again.
It's about emotion. It showcases how a man cannot let this woman or real love into his life because of a prior painful breakup. It shows how old emotional wounds have hurt his soul and how they could happen again.
Both book types explore relationships. However both explore them through different lenses.
Non-Fiction uses LOGIC.
Fiction uses EMOTION.
In Non-fiction writers use scientific data. Such as from 1900-1950 over two feet of topsoil has eroded from the state of Kansas.(this is not true but using to prove point)
In Fiction writers use emotional data. Such as Tim's former girlfriend left him for her boss two years ago and he's never really gotten over it. He's dated and slept with 16 women since then and sometimes he's dating more than one at a time.
Both types of writing can leave the reader wandering what will happen.
In Non-fiction the writer may say "Governments are now working to make X and Y policy to combat soil erosion. Or Governments have yet to do anything about this problem. Or as of this writing Governments have enacted a policy and soil erosion is reversing.
In Fiction a writer may have the main character give love a shot by the end of the story. They may not let the character give it a shot. It depends on how the writer wants the story to end. If the writer feels like cheating is something that will ruin people than they may end it on that sour note. If the writer feels like cheating is something that can be overcome then they may end it on a more positive note.
The ending a of a non-fiction book is based on past and current data. It doesn't much matter what the author feels should happen.
The ending of a fiction book is based on how the author feels.
