Fiction or Non-Fiction

[George Wilder Jr.]

Which genre is best for you and why? I like producing good fiction because it's less like work, unlike in my view, of non-fiction. However, I will never fail to write fiction when I feel need. Fiction is also an avenue for real and learning situations.

[Linda L. Richards]

That's funny, George! My experience is the exact opposite. To me, non-fiction is no work at all: the story is right over *there*. You just have to pick up the pieces, arrange them in the order you prefer, then tell the story. (And I'm not slighting non-fictionists here: I've written trunkloads of non-fiction in my time.)

On the other hand, fiction is a lot of work because you have to do *everything*: you have to invent the people, the plot, the story, the *world* in some cases. You have to create the *weather*, the dog beying down the street. The scrapey sound the car door makes. The smell of the leaves burning. The way a heart breaks when someone hears a certain song. All of this has to come from inside of *you.*

No, for me, writing fiction is a lot more work!

[terry bowman]

I've got to disagree with you there. The main reason that I write fiction Is because I hate research and fact-checking. When I create a crime or a murder it's coming straight from that movie that's playing in my head.

[George Wilder Jr.]

For me, and I'm speaking just for myself. I really enjoy inventing every piece of the puzzle in a work of fiction. I love it. Every writer is different. No one writer thinks the same. What works for him may not work for her in terms of how to put a story together. Fiction for me is not work. It really is fun. Non-fiction is work, there is mountains of research that goes into every page. Inventing colorful characters are a breeze for me.