Realistic Fiction Examples: 3 Tips for Realistic Fiction Writers

Realistic fiction is a subgenre of fiction that involves stories that appear highly believable. Realistic fiction books feature relatable issues, realistic characters, and a grounded setting in the real world. Stories can occur in any time period, from the recent past to long bygone eras, so long as they center on grounded characters and real issues. In most cases, however, realistic fiction takes place in an era from the author's own lifetime.

Realistic fiction stands in opposition to genres like fantasy, science fiction, and many types of adventure and horror novels. Those genres, for all their merits, rely on bending the rules of everyday life, which pushes them out of the realm of realism.

Realistic fiction stories frequently share these core characteristics.

1. 1. Realistic characters: Readers typically find the characters in these stories believable and familiar. Every person in the story—from the main character to the trusty best friend to the hated antagonist— should feel like a real person with human depth.
2. 2. A real-world setting: The setting of a realistic fiction story should follow the established rules of real life on earth.
3. 3. Relatable issues: The main character could be dealing with longing for unrequited love, fear of moving to a new city, making new friends, taking a road trip, or struggling to care for an aging parent. Realistic fiction books can also touch on social issues, or they may cover thorny topics like addiction and mental illness.

Realistic fiction encapsulates many different writing styles and is a favorite among critics, book club members, and even fellow authors. Explore some popular examples of realistic fiction.

1. 1. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (2012): This young adult novel and New York Times bestseller deals with the heavy subject of love among cancer patients, but it never strays from real human emotions and real-life settings.
2. 2. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (1977): At first glance, Bridge to Terabithia may seem like a fantasy novel. Its main characters devise a fantasy world reminiscent of C.S. Lewis's Narnia, but Paterson makes it clear that Terabithia is a world of imagination—not a fantasy setting that defies the laws of real life. In many ways, this Newbery Award–winning novel is a tribute to fantasy and imagination while never leaving the truths of everyday existence.
3. 3. Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo (2000): This children’s novel focuses on details of everyday life, like going to the supermarket and owning a dog. Its highly relatable point of view has earned the novel crossover appeal with adults and children alike.
4. 4. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (1937): This novella, a staple of high school reading lists, deals with the relationships between ranch hands in Depression-era California. The novella ends tragically while mining common, real-life emotions.
5. 5. The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton (1905): Wharton's novel is a tale of high society, the burdens placed on women, and personal downfall. Although devastating in nature, it was hailed as highly relatable by readers of the era and even readers today.

As you experiment with writing realistic fiction, consider the following tips.

1. 1. Consider writing children's literature. Some of the best books in the realistic fiction genre are geared toward young readers. Look to S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders, Angie Thomas's The Hate U Give, or R.J. Palacio's Wonder as examples.
2. 2. Practice writing realistic short stories. Some of the most beloved works of realistic fiction have come via short story compilations. Flannery O'Connor, J.D. Salinger, Richard Ford, and Elizabeth Strout are just a few of the authors who built a reputation on—among other things—realistic short fiction. Use short fiction as a means of exploring the elements of everyday life that interest you.
3. 3. Set aside time for research. Whether the events in your story take place during your own lifetime or a bygone era, take time to do some research. Knowing the time period’s technological advances, economic trends, and political themes can make a more authentic backdrop for timeless human motivations like love, power, vanity, and revenge.

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