The Power of Fiction

I came across Beth Moore’s blog recently. Her Bible studies have meant a lot to me, so I bookmarked it and peruse it occasionally. In the most recent post, she confessed herself to be a bibliophile (I knew I like her!) and asked people to comment telling ONE book that they love. 

Well of course this got my attention. I decided I must scroll through the nearly 750 comments because, of course, there might be a new title to add to my “to read” list! Interestingly enough, most of the books mentioned—even some of the obscure ones—I’ve read. Now, if you know me or have been reading here very long, you know I rarely read non-fiction. So guess what? An overwhelming majority mentioned a fiction title over a non-fiction one. (I didn’t do the math but it was probably around 4 or 5 to 1, and possibly greater than that!) Isn’t that fascinating? For me, fiction has touched me more deeply than non-fiction. Apparently that is true for others, as well. Not that there aren’t valuable non-fiction titles. There definitely are! But when people think about a book they love—a book that stays with them or that they re-read often—it usually comes back to a memorable and well-told story. 

That’s why I write fiction. And reading those comments inspires me to keep at it.