Member-only story
PERSONAL ESSAY — WRITING FICTION
Why Fiction?
Fiction David versus Non-Fiction Goliath
Note: Here is the sad result of my most recent “fiction vs. non-fiction on Medium” Google query (4/23/25):
On Medium, fiction accounts for a small percentage of the overall content, estimated to be around 3%. This suggests that non-fiction significantly outweighs fiction in terms of overall content volume on the platform. While fiction exists on Medium, it’s a relatively minor part of the platform’s content.
Non-fiction Dominance: The vast majority of content on Medium is non-fiction, encompassing a wide range of topics like technology, business, personal growth, and more. While Medium does have a section for fiction, its visibility and engagement may not be as high as other areas of the platform.
For me, when I grew up, a book never meant anything but fiction. I mean, if not fiction, what would be the point?
Yes, there were the textbooks at school, of course, but those didn’t really count as real books, not in my universe. And isn’t it funny that once you’ve settled on an assumption, unless you later pick it up, dust it off, and examine it closely, this assumption stays with you, takes on the color of truth, and then morphs into truth?
