Joss Whedon is a master of this. The reason that Buffy the Vampire Slayer was so successful was that the monster of the week was more than a plot obstacle, it usually manifested or represented on a metaphorical level the real-life issues the characters were struggling with in their lives, and brought those issues out of the characters in a meaningful way, a way that non-fiction couldn’t.

That may seem a trite example to those who consider shows aimed at younger audiences beneath them, but I often feel fiction, particularly science fiction, makes me rethink my life in ways that non-fiction just can’t. It’s like they say: Fiction is the art of using lies to tell the truth.

One last thing, fiction can be instructive. That alone is a virtue.

Nope, neither musical, nor would I claim an ability to write fiction. Either way, fiction is for rational minds as life is for rational minds: what you make of it.

I watched an interview a few months ago. Christopher Hitchins described himself as an essayist, and said he’s unable to write fiction.

However, he’s friends with many fiction writers, and has noticed that those he knows that are able to write fiction are also those that are highly musical.

Wondering if you are musical? (i.e. like to play music as well as listen to it)

Imagine if on your deathbed, someone told you that all those non-fiction stories you’d read–about historical events, about some guy’s struggle spending 27 years in jail only to later becoming president of his country, about a prodigious inventor who failed 10,000 times before he succeeded once, whatever–were in fact made up. Would it make any difference? Probably not. Output is God. If what you read changed your life in positive ways, it was worth it.

When is fiction better than non-fiction? Whenever it suits you. Take a subject that interests you, and find a novel that offers a world in which that theme plays a central role. Then bring it home, kick back on the couch with a suitable drink, and relax into the make-believe.

My brain is trained to extract relavent information quickly – information that lets me understand the world better in some way, whether for personal or professional benefit – which is why I have no idea how to enjoy fiction.

By reading your article, I’ve been able to “meet someone (your) that “changes my perception of the world”, as you put it.

But that’s the problem.

I only let your blog post allow my perception of the world to be tweaked because it portends to be a non-fiction account of how reading fiction can be great.

If you’d ended the article by saying “This is actually a fictional blog post, I could have totally made up how great reading ficiton is” then I’d not actually have been able to have benefitted as much from “meeting someone that changes my perception of the world”.

So my question to you is – when can reading fiction be better than reading non-fiction that introduces real characters that change my perception of the world?

It seems to be that reading fiction is the same as doing drugs. You “live more intensely” for having done them, but the experience is of little long term consequence.

So, basically I’m refuting the value of fiction by saying you’re nothing better than a drug addict. Good day :)