Non-fiction is simply a factual account of some topic.

However, this can become

ambiguous in such fields as history and biography, where the historian or biographer may
speculate on the reasons why things occurred, or why people did certain things, and thus
add his own subjective interpretation into the account.

The term 'creative non-fiction' can describe works where the writer bases an account on
factual events but embeds these within a creative story to bring the events to life and
engage the reader. One good example is The Fly in the Cathedral by Brian Cathcart. It
focusses on the Cambridge scientists who first split the atom back in the 1930s. Obviously,
Cathcart was not present during the laboratory experiments and private conversations
these men conducted, however, as the Sunday Telegraph stated, 'Cathcart tells the
exhilarating story with verve and precision ... every twist and turn of the story is carefully
plotted. He pieces the science together deftly and evokes tenderly the world of gentlemanly
amateurism that marked the science of that era.' Creative non-fiction can therefore bring
facts to life and can be a great learning tool for those who find the 'hard facts' difficult to
assimilate.
Books are divided into two major categories- fiction and nonfiction and genres fall under
those two categories. Fiction books come from the imagination of the writer and are not
based on fact or history. However in the case of historical fiction, which is a genre of fiction,
the book can reference actual people, places and events, but the story shaped around those
people, places and events are more imagined than factual.

Nonfiction are books that are written as close to the truth and adhere to the accuracy of the
events, people, or information presented as closely as possible. These books are heavily
research and fact checked.
The former informs us to that which already exists, the latter very often possesses
elements which might guide us to the creation of new constructs and mechanics that might
enhance our lives.