Fiction can be good for you

Posted on February 29, 2008 by Bruce Keener

There was a time when I loved to read good fiction books: Clancy, Koontz, Ludlum, Grisham, and so on. I used to go through several books a month on a regular basis, some in paperback form and some in ebook form.

Now I have a pile of unread fiction paperbacks and at least a dozen in ebook format that I have not even opened.

Well, I’ve decided to start reading through these piles. And, I will try to do so without a guilt complex. It seems that somewhere along the way I became a self-improvement junkie, and somehow came to have the feeling that spending time unproductively is wrong.

But, while there is a time to be productive, there is also a time to relax. And good fiction can be relaxing, even if it is an intense novel, because it takes you away from the ordinary, away from your cares and worries and task lists. I think it can also open up some creative channels in you, because it gets you to thinking a bit differently.

So I hope to get back into the practice of regularly reading fiction. What about you? Who are your favorite fiction authors? Ever attempt any writing yourself?

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  • Susan aka gasusan2005

    Funny.. I am doing the same…reading! I have been working on some projects around the house (from my “honey please fix” list…. that has been ignored…so I am doing them)…..and when I take a break or finish for the day…sitting down with a good book has been great (and often I am too tired to do much else!)

    Lots of favorite authors…. mainly mysteries…
    David Baldacci, Dan Brown, James Lee Burke, Stephen Cannell, Lee Child, Michael Connelly, Robin Cook, Patricia Cornwell, Michael Crichton, Jeffrey Deaver, Monica Ferris, Tess Gerritsen, Faye Kellerman, Jesse Kellerman, James Patterson, Kathy Reichs, John Sanford, Stuart Woods

  • http://www.keenerliving.com/ Bruce

    Susan, you and geardiary were the inspiration for me finally getting off my butt on this. I had been thinking about doing some fiction reading for the past couple of days, and then seeing the two of you chat about it on twitter was the “final straw.” So, today I get back into it. (After me and the dogs take a nap.)

    Need to decide whether to get back into a half-read Nora Roberts book that I haven’t touched in a year, or read one of Crichton’s ebook on my Pocket PC. Will do both, but haven’t decided the order. I have so-o-o many books to work through. But, I will enjoy it.

    That’s a great list of authors. Some of them I have not read, so I really appreciate the list.

    Thanks!

  • John

    Not to be contrary, but the older I’ve gotten the more I’ve moved away from fiction. I use to read mostly science fiction but anymore I find that there nothing more entertaining than well-written history.

    I don’t mean history novels nor do I mean textbooks. But books like “1776″ by David McCullough. History books that tell a story. Doesn’t make any difference what period either.

  • http://www.keenerliving.com/ Bruce

    Good to hear from you, John. I enjoy hearing contrary views: that’s how we learn from each other.

    I was also a huge SciFi buff years ago, but have read very little of it in the last several years. Have never been big on history, though. I always play the what-if game in my mind with history: what if he had done this, what if she had done that, what if they had been better educated, what if …. So, it really makes more busy work for my mind than a good fiction book does. But, that’s just me.

  • http://www.billmyerscreations.com Bill Myers

    I was a scriptwriting minor in college, and a Hollywood agent took enough of an interest in a “Star Trek: The Next Generation” script I wrote to send it to Paramount. Unfortunately, they didn’t bite, and the agent moved on to representing novelists. So for me, the opportunity fell through.

    For some reason I let that derail my creative efforts for more than 15 years. I am trying to get back on the horse.

    You mentioned having visited my Web site, which is devoted to a comic-book I am in the process of writing, and plan to draw and publish. I also have a blog devoted to the project.

    Writing is a wonderful but very odd and sometimes painful endeavor. There are techniques and principles you can learn, but there is no process or formula that will guarantee that your story will be a good one. Things are further muddied by the fact that all analyses of stories are, despite what some will claim, subjective. You can write a story that some will declare crap and others will declare the best thing since sliced bread. Who is right? Who is wrong?

    Ultimately it’s a balance between following your heart but trusting your head enough to help you see where you need to improve.

    Because I have ADD, ideas come to me with ease but giving them form and structure is more challenging. I’ve learned that for me, the best way to begin is to determine the theme of the story. If I can articulate the theme in one sentence, I can use it as the foundation to create a sound structure to hold my ideas and make them worth reading.

    On a more practical note, I am experimenting with mindmapping software to make the process of outlining and structuring my story a bit easier.

    If any of the above is too self-promotional, feel free to delete the post. It’s your blog and I won’t hold it against you. :)

    As for reading, I am way behind. I learned the GTD methodology by stuff I cribbed off the Web but recently bought the book and am in the process of reading it. Also in my “to read” pile: Tales From the Buffalo Bills by Steve Tasker, Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow, and Dante’s Inferno.

    Yes, I know. I’m odd.

  • http://www.keenerliving.com/ Bruce

    Hi Bill,

    Thanks for giving a writer’s point of view, and for putting in a few insights on managing the creative process.

    I don’t consider your comment to be self-promotional … just descriptive, and interesting. A bit wordy maybe :)

    Neat idea on using mindmapping software to help write.

    Good luck with your reading list, and thanks again for contributing your thoughts.

  • http://www.billmyerscreations.com Bill Myers

    Bruce, have you ever tried any fiction writing? Your tendency to ask “what if?” when reading history is the same thing that fiction writers must do when plotting a story.

    Sorry about my tendency towards wordiness. I’ll keep an eye on it in the future.

  • http://www.keenerliving.com/ Bruce

    Bill, (1) I was just kidding about wordiness … your comments are appreciated very much, (2) I lack the talent for fiction writing, but thanks.

  • Terry Finley

    Writing and reading fiction are good for you.

  • Thomas R. Hall

    This is a great idea, Bruce. I sometimes get “self-improvemented out” myself. I love eBooks, but also subscribe to Audible because I have a lot of travel time (commuting in the car, exercising, etc.) and I can “read” (listen) to more books that way.

    With the iPod, I also listen to lots of podcasts as well.

  • http://www.keenerliving.com/ Bruce

    Yes, if I were still working and doing any commuting, I think your approach would suit me well. Several of my friends who still commute do the audible books and like them well.

    I must say I am enjoying the break from the self-improvement stuff … reading the ebook version of State of Fear right now, and really enjoying it.

  • Jaimee Whitcher

    Bruce – I just got your blog from Kent and I was reading this entry – so funny as I have picked up my first book in a coon’s age! And you are so right – reading is not a waste, but I great way to escape the monotony of real life and see things in a different light…I am reading Ian McEwen – Atonement right now…VERY evocative scenes and vivid descriptions…Really enjoying the foray into language. I miss you and hope you’re enjoying your retirement. Emma is growing like a weed…If I can find your e-mail, I’ll send you some photos…Take care…

  • http://www.keenerliving.com/ Bruce

    JAIMEE ! I miss you, too. So good to hear from you. My email is headed your way shortly.

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