The writings & ramblings of a Philadelphian: Real Fiction

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Real Fiction

I write contemporary fiction.

What does that mean?

It's fiction set in the here and now. It's basically real fiction. It's the stuff you see and read about every day. It's believable.

How can that be, you ask.

Simple, really.

Working in a scientific field has killed my imagination to some extent. The ability to create new worlds, different languages and even different species is long gone. It was there as a kid, but I lack that now.

But I don't lack imagination in "what if" stories. What if this happened. How does this current situation affect this population? My non-fiction background helps to lay the foundation for my current fictional work.

Is that a bad thing?

I think not.

For me, writing real, believable fiction is important. Could you really believe that someone who lived in a major metropolis kept an elephant as a pet? No. But you could you believe that they had a small dog and had all kinds of adventures in the dog park.

REAL fiction.

Could you believe the stories of a woman who takes a cross-country road trip on her motorcycle? Sure.

Could you believe the stories of a woman who takes a cross-country road trip in a canoe? Probably not.

So I go with REAL fiction. True fiction, if you will.

The best part is (and we all know this to be true), is that truth is stranger than fiction!

What does that mean for me as a writer?

That the sky is the limit!

I can write real fiction & still have some "off-the-wall" events or characters and it is still believable. For myself, I would rather read a contemporary fiction book that is a story I can truly believe than one that isn't.

That doesn't mean I don't like Sci Fi or fantasy or anything like that. I do. I am speaking solely of contemporary fiction. I want a contemporary fiction story that I can actually see the characters and events playing out as they are rather than some completely bizarre, unrealistic story. As a reader, I will disconnect from the characters & author. You can rest assured that book will then collect some serious dust in my home.

Does that mean I write the best stuff out there? Absolutely not! It's just that for me as a reader and a writer, I want fiction that I can get into. A good, believable story is the kind that I can sink my teeth into and simply get whisked away!