Talk:Fiction

Other Fiction Not Listed
There should be a section with a reference to Juvenile Fiction, Young Adult Fiction and New Adult Fiction as most people may not realize they exist. The default, IMHO, for users is to come her for other variations of Fiction and with this missing info one may think there is nothing else. I have been researching what/how publishers are using to catalogue and found BISG and their BISAC Subject Heading List. There are only 3 Main fiction, Fiction, Juvenile Fiction and Young Adult Fiction. The New Adult fiction is a subsection of Fiction; Fiction/Romance/New Adult.

It is my belief based on their FAQ page that it's the industry standard that list all the main headings (genres). — Preceding unsigned comment added by Tekeek (talk • contribs) 03:25, 7 April 2021 (UTC)

Recent lede changes
Whatever the cited sources say about associating fiction primarily with writing, it's reasonable to include screenplays and manuscripts for stage plays under the written fiction rubric. (No need to mention radio plays in the 21 century, eh?) The extent to which the term is applied to any subsequent performance is a whole 'nother question. --Kent Dominic·(talk) 17:56, 14 May 2022 (UTC)

P.S. I suppose the changes should be rendered as "manuscripts for stage plays and for non-documentary movies" if someone wants to make matters abundantly clear. --Kent Dominic·(talk) 18:08, 14 May 2022 (UTC)

Lead section
The lead section currently says that fiction is creative work portraying individuals, events, or places in ways that are imaginary. However, the truth is that fiction is creative work portraying individuals, events, or places *that are* imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. No? (And, I'd argue, mostly the former. Clark Kent is an individual who is imaginary. Hogwarts is imaginary. The events in the film Get Out are imaginary. Etc.) Wolfdog (talk) 22:46, 1 December 2022 (UTC)


 * Webster defines fiction as "an invented story." Fiction is often about real characters, settings, and situations, but told differently from actual history and need not be about imaginary individuals, events, or places.  The lead currently indicates that fiction portrays individuals, events, or places in ways that are imaginary or inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility.  This is the correct meaning of the term and is consistent with the three cited sources.—Anita5192 (talk) 00:17, 2 December 2022 (UTC)


 * As I've already stated above, fiction most commonly indeed is about imaginary characters, settings, and situations. It also may be about real ones but portrayed in ways that are imaginary, as you say. I don't see why both descriptions (like the proposed wording I offered above) are mutually exclusive. And it's certainly not clear what you mean by correct meaning of the term, as word meanings are constantly shifting. Sourced is what's important. In terms of your concerns about being consistent with the three sources, the Lexico source actually even includes my meaning of imaginary events and people rather than your "events and people with imaginary portrayals". The Sageng et al. source defines a work of fiction (a bit circularly) as one in which the characters, places, events, objects and actions referred to are fictional. Again -- not the portrayal of objects, as you say, but the objects themselves. So those two support my original edit you reverted. The third source I have no access to. I request you to review my proposed wording above. Other voices welcome too! Wolfdog (talk) 01:51, 2 December 2022 (UTC)

"Not real" listed at Redirects for discussion
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"Creating Stories" listed at Redirects for discussion
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"Elements of a yarn" listed at Redirects for discussion
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"Elements of a story" listed at Redirects for discussion
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