Drowning in fiction
If to engage with a work of fiction is to dive underwater, then the author or artist’s job is to make the most of your time underwater without depriving you of air.
Media conglomerates want you to drown. You may already be drowning if you…
- Use the words “canon,” “continuity,” “universe” or “multiverse.”
- Read encyclopedic descriptions of fictional events.
- Spend hours engaging with fiction you don’t enjoy just to get to the “good part.”
There are good reasons to make a work of fiction longer and more involved. There are good reasons to draw inspiration from other fiction or assume familiarity with it. But the artist must always weigh such decisions against the risk of drowning the audience.
Because art is not really about the water. Art is about what it means to breathe.