What about non-fiction?

Confession: You know the feeling of something really cool slipping through your fingers? Yeah.

Reading:

• "L. DeBard and Aliette: A Love Story," by Lauren Groff
  
• The House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton
  

Writing:

• "Ferian Fetlock Hitches a Ride" - 1,455 words (Estimated completion 14%)
• "Ferian Fetlock Catches a Cold" - Outline 100%
  

Revising:

• "The Revenant"
• "Cora and the Sea" - Third draft 50%

Still no word from the Tea lady. I'm wondering if that initial email were really just an elaborate prank. If so, someone sure fooled me.

The great divide I've noticed at my work is between fiction and non-fiction. The devotees of one rarely cross over to the other. I've heard lots of explanations, on both sides, for why they prefer one over the other. Usually, the non-fiction readers think fiction is all the same, or light entertainment, not serious or interesting. For them, reading is an investment of time, and fiction has no payoff. It's the empty calories of the literary world.

On the other hand, fiction readers look at non-fiction as dry and boring, no heart or soul To use another food metaphor, fiction is the gourmet meal and non-fiction is cafeteria food, with all the nutrition but none of the flavor.

One of the biggest criticisms I received in graduate school was that I was too creative with my research papers. Not too creative in topic or ideas, but in writing style. The idea was to have the language completely transparent. I tried to acquiesce, and I'm very glad I failed.

I think good non-fiction has elements of fiction writing in it. That's what keeps it from being cold fact, and makes it worth the experience.

But of course, that's to me. And I love fiction.

Publication Status:

• Submitted: 5
  
• Accepted: 1
• Rejected: 2
• Pending: 2