Guest Post: Writing the FUN Back Into Reading

WRITING THE FUN BACK INTO READING

Richard Paolinelli

I’m not so sure what the exact date it was, but sometime in the not-so-distant past the powers that be decreed that readers of sci-fi and fantasy needed to be browbeaten. Suddenly, stories became angry. Readers were being scolded and made to feel bad about everything around them once they reached the end of the book/movie/show/game. Can they really be surprised to discover that people are turning away from these forms of entertainment in droves?

Fortunately, there is a band of rebels out there that are producing all sorts of sci-fi/fantasy content across multiple media. I am proud to count myself among their number. We call it “Superversive” and I’ve been talking about it a lot recently on my website: https://scifiscribe.com/category/superversive/. I’ve also created a growing list of Superversive authors, publishers and books: https://scifiscribe.com/superversive-publishers-authors/ and I’m running a weekly feature called Superversive Sunday Spotlight: https://scifiscribe.com/category/superversive-sunday/ where I interview a Superversive author. All of these wonderful people are creating new content that is enjoyable to read or play.

All of my books and short stories are written for the reader to have fun reading them. This is what I want when I take a break from day-to-day life: To be able sit back and enjoy a good book, game or show. Because I feel that we have enough reality beating us up every day as it is. Books, movies and games should offer some respite, a pleasurable escape from reality if even just briefly.

It’s the same approach I’ve taken with another weekly feature on my blog: The 1K Weekly Serial Series: https://scifiscribe.com/1k-serials/. Right now, I’m writing an epic, three-part, Star Trek Fan Fiction series. I’d always wanted to write a Star Trek novel, but with the current state of the Star Trek franchise I didn’t see a way to do it. J.J. Abrams’ reboot has all but killed the film franchise. Discovery and Picard are doing the same for the small screen.

So, when I discovered that fan fiction is allowed, with certain requirements I was more than happy to adhere to, I started writing the weekly series. The main character of the story is Bari Forelni, a Prince of Etalya. The Etalyians live for over three centuries which allows Bari’s story to begin in the Star Trek: Enterprise era (Part 1), continue into The Original Series era (Part 2) and conclude (?) during The Next Generation era (Part 3). But while Bari’s story is front and center, all three Enterprise crews will be well represented.

They will also be well respected, something the Abrams movies and the recent TV shows cannot claim. The bottom line is this: The stories will be as fun for the reader to read and they have been for me to write.

And that is always my ultimate goal no matter what I sit down to write: Have some fun.