歐陽修(1007-1072)《歸田錄》及蘇轍(1039-1112)《龍川別志》同作於退歸之後，均有意於補史，然書寫意識與方法並不相同。《歸田錄》以記制度及大臣、名士軼聞瑣事為主，雖然多笑談不急之事，充滿逸趣，但其實常以塑造人物典型，或與其他文體著作連結互見的方式，形成當代歷史的詮釋網絡，並寓意批評。《龍川別志》則以北宋中期以前國家政治重要關鍵之記事為主，對官方史書、前人所作碑誌、筆記語焉不詳或迴護諱飾處，他以其見聞做出補充，而且勇於評議，無論史料的選擇或敘事，處處顯示他對當代史事之認知及判斷，其刻意結構，並以所擅長的議論手法融入筆記的書寫方式，不僅為北宋筆記詮釋歷史的模式開闢新境，而且也是宋代散文應該注意的一項轉變。

Ouyang Xiu’s 歐陽修 Guitian lu 歸田錄 and Su Che’s 蘇轍 Longchuan biezhi 龍川別志 were written after their retirement from the official bureaucracy. Both biji 筆記 sought to supplement history, however they employed different understandings and methods of composition to achieve this goal. The entries in the Guitian lu mainly recorded matters related to the bureaucratic system as well as anecdotes and trivia concerning ministers and famous scholars. Although the text is full of humorous stories and miscellanies, Ouyang Xiu also used the work as a vehicle for deploying more serious historical techniques such as the creation of archetypal characters and the use of hujian 互見 to link together different works to produce an interpretive framework that revealed his personal opinion or criticism. In contrast, the Longchuan biezhi mainly focused on important political events before the middle of the Northern Song. In the text, Su demonstrated his knowledge and judgment of contemporary historical events. He moreover filled in lacunae and explicated ambiguous passages found in official histories as well as the inscriptions, biji and other historical materials produced by his predecessors. The deliberate method of organizing materials and the excellent argumentative techniques that Su exhibited in the Longchuan biezhi not only established a new model for historical interpretation in the Northern Song, they also constituted an important development in Song prose.