A
new TV series gets high ratings and within a year there are a half dozen
similar "wannabes" following in its path. Thousands of fast-food
burger or chicken or taco stands with similar offerings vie for our patronage. A
best selling mystery is almost immediately followed by others from different
authors but with more similarities than differences. If you read one genre
exclusively, surely you must have noted the resemblance to the original of
plots, protagonists, and antagonists, even to the point of being able to guess
with some accuracy how the story will progress and how it will end. Within any
genre the stories are very similar, that's why they fit within that genre.
There
is an unheralded genre that is seldom visited because it is seldom listed as
such—General Fiction. The stories herein defy being placed in an established
genre because they don't match the format these genres require for inclusion.
They are unique entities, often with unusual plots, characters, and conclusions.
They are analogous to the little family-run restaurant competing with the
plethora of McDonalds, Burger Kings, and Taco Bells, that offers different entrées
from the mundane fast food menus, and an opportunity to sit down, be served,
and enjoy your food.
However,
to walk in to one of these eateries for the first time is risky and requires
courage—exposing oneself to any new experience always does—as well as a quest
for adventure. It could prove to be a great experience and prompt you to take
such a risk again. But you won't know unless you do.
This
analogy works for General Fiction also. If all you read is within one genre, or
limited to the works of one or two authors, then you are choosing from an
unchanging menu and denying yourself an opportunity for a new and probably
worthwhile reading experience. Go ahead, take a risk and feast at a different
literary banquet for a change. (As you may have suspected, all of my books rest
comfortably under the banner of General Fiction.)
Look for me on FaceBook and visit my website to see my
books. http://www.bfoswaldauthor.com
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