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This may be a strange question for a fiction writer to ask but it’s not a bad thing to look into as it ties in closely with why write at all. I believe the creative arts as a whole are worth celebrating and supporting. Fiction writers, though, have the chance to show reflections on humanity’s behaviour all through the medium of entertaining stories.
Stories are part of our history and culture, no matter where in the world we are. Stories can entertain and educate. Stories get passed down through history and some of them have morals to them (Jesus’s parables and Aesop’s Fables are some examples). Others are “just” stories though I see nothing wrong in tales “just” being there to entertain.
We can never know how our stories can lift others up or take them out of their worries for a while but it is certain they will. How often have we read stories, of any length, and enjoyed them as pure escapism? I know I’ve done this far too often to count. It is one of the pure joys of reading fiction.
The Value of Fiction
We say truth is stranger than fiction and this is true. What is also true is that fiction can show us truths we don’t necessarily need to be able to prove but still ring true all the same. A well written story with relatable characters can have a powerful impact. Stories can show us right from wrong. Most of us root for the hero/heroine in a tale after all. Fiction can and does reflect themes with meaning for us.
In the classic fairytales, justice is always seen to be done in some form (which sadly we know isn’t always true in life). It usually is in crime fiction too though there are exceptions. Fiction resonates with us but it shows us what we know and what we would like to be true. Sometimes it shows us things we wish weren’t true.
I am sure George Orwell didn’t mean to be a prophetic writer as such. He wanted to warn of the dangers of dictatorships and he does so in 1984 and Animal Farm. There is a meme on social media going around with Orwell’s picture and the caption beneath it reads I didn’t mean to write an instruction manual. Sadly true that one. Some things would be best confined to stories only.
Fiction also encourages empathy. You get to read a fictional character’s life story, so to speak. You get to see the decisions they make and the attitudes they have and what the consequences of these things are. You will soon decide whether you sympathise with the character or not. Even where you don’t agree, you’ll have worked out why that is.
The excellent characters in fiction can make me almost want to scream at them to make the right choices. But all of that encourages us to step inside someone else’s shoes for a while, even though these people or other beings are fictional. The good thing with empathy is it is transferrable!
Escapism, Education, Entertainment
All of these are great reasons to read fiction. I had a friend who only ever read non-fiction (and nothing wrong with that) but they couldn’t see the point of fiction. I think the overwhelming point is to see life outside of ourselves by “living” in the life of the characters you’re reading about. Non-fiction must stick to the facts. Fiction can deal with emotions.
Fiction can also show patterns of human behaviour. Sometimes that can act as warnings. The classic fairytales can do this to an extent. If there was ever a lesson to be learned from the Three Little Pigs, it is always to make sure you build with reliable materials which will stand up to rigorous testing.
Mind you, I think G.K. Chesterton had it right with his famous quote about fairytales.
“Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.”
― G.K. Chesterton
Sometimes you can learn what not to do from what you see characters in a book do with the resulting consequences.
Naturally reading plenty of books (fictional and otherwise) will also do wonders for your vocabulary. I remember my late mother being stunned to find the word soporific in Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies. Mum was well read and I inherited her books which range from Austen to Dickens to H.G. Wells and all sorts in and around those. She guessed, I think correctly, children would want to know what the word meant (though you can pick it up from context which in itself is a useful skill to pick up from your fiction reading).
As for entertainment, books are excellent value for money because you can keep them and re-read them whenever you want. Also you can borrow books from the library of course.
I’ve never seen anything wrong with escapism. The world is pretty grim at times (and especially now as I write this) so to escape via the pages of a good book (especially fiction where you know it is all made up) seems like a good idea to me.
Books can also open up the world to you should you want that. This can be done by reading books from cultures other than our own or by trying genres different to those you would normally pick to read. (This is where borrowing from the library is useful because you can try this out for free. Alternatively you can download ebooks for not too much money).
Why Write Fiction Then?
For me, it is because I love stories so much I would like to put some of my own out there. Writers generally are inspired by the works they themselves have loved reading. I am so glad people didn’t decide because Edgar Allen Poe came up with the first detective story (The Murders in The Rue Morgue) to never write any other kind of detective tale. How much we would have missed out on if other authors didn’t take that basic idea and run with it. Fiction can reflect our own era, past eras, future ones. Books are their own worlds.
I also love the challenge of coming up with stories. Writing, whether you seek publication or not, stretches you creatively (as do all of the creative arts. I believe most people have some creative art to tap into – it is a question of finding the one, or if you’re lucky more than that, which is right for you).
Fiction is such a wonderful thing to contribute something towards. Can you imagine a world without stories written down for us to enjoy? Would you want to do that? No. The role of fiction is an important one, I feel, and it is a pleasure, joy, and privilege to write my own stories, inspired by those I have loved. I see it as giving back in a way.
Conclusion
A good work of fiction will make it seem as if you have entered the character’s world for a while, the best escapism there is, I think.
Related Posts:-
Read interviews with Chandler’s Ford writer Allison Symes: Part 1 and Part 2.
Read blog posts by Allison Symes published on Chandler’s Ford Today.
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