Why i love fiction

I love good plots, well thought-out and well sketched-out characters, good story-telling, well-strewn conversations- and, above all, the wonderful insight that only a fiction author who knows and can see through her characters really well can provide us on the psychology or the motives that drive the characters- thus infusing in them the life and the meaning they deserved the very moment they were conceived.

I have always harbored the utmost regard, and a curious fascination-and-awe for all the genius imagination and the originality of thought that goes into building up a good work of fiction. While i have had my own share of Paulo Coelho/Shiv Khera/Robin Sharma kind of reading- having practically tried out many times over any author who becomes a best-seller in the market- reading anything from inspirational/leadership/self-improvement/spirituality/psychology books- and while they undeniably have their share of wisdom or insights to offer; at times compiling some invaluable lessons from sources as ancient and relevant as the Panchatantras- fiction still remains what i always keep falling back to and ending up feeling truly rewarded for making the choice. Only fiction gives me a sense of reading for pure pleasure and escape- reading a book not to draw any professional/business-value/worldly-wisdom out of it, but just for the pure joy of it- nevertheless, i end up drawing a lot of real value from them in the process!

The last novel i finished a couple of weeks back was "The Rose & the Yew Tree"- a non-crime novel by Agatha Christie (under the pen name of Mary Westmacott), and this was a truly refreshing change from the kind of "inspirational" books that i have been reading lately. At times, it's exhausting even to think of just how many people around us are preaching us on the cliches of how to become a positive thinker, an effective individual, a successful leader/manager or, how to grow spiritually, or even just how to become a dreamer by listening to and following your own heart! Once you are done reading one book on the topic, the second one leaves you with a very strong sense of deja vu. This is where the novelty and originality of a work of fiction comes to your rescue like a breather- thankfully, no two works of fiction tell the same story, and no two fiction authors try to explicitly preach the same words of wisdom. Happy fiction reading to all! So long!