How can one distinguish between a biographical novel and historical fiction in terms of narrative style?

One way is to look for fictional elements. If there are clearly made - up characters, relationships, or events that don't have a basis in historical records, it's likely historical fiction. In narrative nonfiction, everything should be verifiable. For example, if a book has a character who is a time - traveling wizard during the Middle Ages, it's historical fiction.

In a memoir, the writing style is often more introspective. The author may use a lot of 'I' statements as they are sharing their own experiences. In realistic fiction, the author may use different points of view more often. For example, a memoir about a journey might be written as 'I saw this, I felt that', while a realistic fiction about a similar journey could switch between different characters' perspectives.

The plot is a giveaway too. Historical fiction will have a plot that may be created to tell a story, like a mystery set in an ancient city. It might not be based on a real - life sequence of events. Historical nonfiction will follow the actual historical events in a more linear way. It'll talk about causes and effects as they really happened in history. For example, a historical nonfiction about the Industrial Revolution will detail the real economic and social changes that occurred.

The presence of fictional elements is a big giveaway. In history, everything should be based on facts and evidence. If there are elements like magic or super - natural events in a story set in a historical period, it's clearly historical fiction. Also, look at the level of detail about real historical events. In history, these will be thoroughly explored and explained. In historical fiction, they may be just a backdrop for the fictional story. For example, a history of the Renaissance will go into great detail about the art, the artists, and the social changes. A historical fiction set during the Renaissance might just mention the great artworks in passing while focusing on a fictional love story between two characters.

One way is to look at the sources. If it cites historical documents, research papers, and eyewitness accounts, it's likely history. If it has a disclaimer about fictional characters or events, it's probably historical fiction.

Novels often have a more elaborate writing style due to their length. There can be detailed descriptions of settings, characters' backstories, and multiple plot threads. Novellas are more streamlined in their writing. They get to the point a bit quicker while still maintaining some complexity. Short stories have a very concise writing style. Every word counts as they have limited space to tell the story.

In best prose poetry, the writing style is often more lyrical and free - flowing. There are often no strict rules for grammar or punctuation in the pursuit of a certain mood or effect. Flash fiction, however, has a more straightforward writing style that is focused on getting the story across quickly. So, if it reads like a mini - story with a clear purpose, it's likely flash fiction; if it's more about the language's musicality, it could be prose poetry.

Narratives and expositions are two different types of writing. The main difference lies in their purpose and way of expression. Narrations were mainly used to describe characters, events, situations, etc. Through narrating the story, they showed the psychology, behavior, and thoughts of the characters. The way narrative works is usually so that the emotional reader can directly feel the author's emotions and thoughts. The main purpose of an explanatory text was to explain things, concepts, principles, etc. by providing facts, data, details, etc. to prove or explain a certain point of view or idea. The way an explanatory text was expressed was that the rational reader needed to analyze and explain facts and data to understand the author's point of view. Therefore, the main difference between narrative and narrative lies in their purpose and expression. Narrations were more focused on the presentation of emotions and artistic conception, while explanatory writings were more focused on the provision of facts and data.

Comics sometimes have a more simplistic art style as they need to be produced quickly for regular releases. For example, in daily newspaper comics, the art is often simple to be easily recognizable. Graphic novels, on the other hand, can afford to have more detailed and elaborate art. Since they are not as frequently released as comics, artists can spend more time on each page. This can result in a wider range of artistic expressions, from highly realistic to highly stylized, depending on the nature of the story being told.

In terms of writing style, prose can be very diverse. It might use a lot of flowery language for description or be very straightforward in stating facts. A short story often has a more engaging writing style. It uses elements like dialogue and action to move the story along. For example, in prose, you could have a passage that just rambles on about a person's feelings. In a short story, those feelings would be shown through the character's actions and words in the context of the story.