How Do We Keep It Real While Making Things Up?

When we visit a farm, we usually encounter strong smells. It’s a place where manure lends its odor to whatever else is going on at the farm.

When E.B. White wrote his story about “Charlotte’s Web,” he kept it real. There’s plenty of manure, for example, at the Zuckerman farm. Those manure piles serve a purpose for pigs like Wilbur (who love to roll around in them, especially on hot summer days).

While writing his story, White kept it real at the same time as he made things up. He studied spiders for a whole year before he began to tell Charlotte’s tale. Throughout Charlotte’s story White mixes reality with fantasy. This gives his work credibility as he seamlessly weaves facts with fiction.

The parts of Charlotte’s story that are based in reality are the non-fictional parts. The parts of Charlotte’s story that are made-up, and based on fantasy, are the fictional parts.

What are some of the non-fictional parts of Charlotte’s story?

What are some of the fictional parts of Charlotte’s story?

Is there another story you can think of where the author mixes reality with fantasy? What is that story? What are some of the non-fictional parts? What are some of the fictional parts?

Write a short story where you combine “keeping it real” (non-fiction) while “making things up” (fiction).