Why I avoid certain kinds of fiction

Post Reply New Topic

I do like some kinds of fiction, like science fiction.
Certain kinds of reality TV shows like Intervention, VBS.tv Vice, all sorts of documentaries, TED, I get everything on computer.

I don't like dancing with the stars, soap operas, sports, I have a hard time tolerating many movies, survivor, don,t like it.
One of the reasons I don't like this stuff is it is not useful to me, its very boring and irritating.

Here is another reason I avoid fiction and the many forms of various versions of politically correct fiction, is it is inaccurate (often grossly) in its portrayal of social stuff. In science fiction it is easy to understand say there is no Star Trek transporter, yet find it stimulating to contemplate the scientific possibilities. But in social stuff considering all sorts of social possibilities is confusing, worse if the ideas are feeding someones political agenda, like certain religious stuff. I would be prone to make faulty judgements.
I do not want to build ideas of how social interactions work on faulty models.

I was obsessed with the show "Lost" for a bit. I loved the sci-fi elements, the sense of wonderment/where is this all going? feeling it gave me; I wanted to fight the smoke monster haha. The one thing I hated about the show? The way many of the villians and heros were presented as sociopaths - with hearts of gold. I found that insulting to the viewers and a massive slap in the face to psychology, but hey, how interesting can a story be if someone is totally heartless and without redemption?

I read a lot. Collect books too. Fiction exclusively, and yes, I have noticed there are particular sorts of plot structures I enjoy more than others for very specific reasons. The most important things to me are a clear end goal for the protagonist that is defined early on, and some level of reader agency in predicting future events. So, for example, a recent title that I absolutely hated and quit within 40 pages is The Trial by Franz Kafka. That is a book based entirely on making the reading feel as uncomfortable and confused about the situation as the protagonist is. It's all mysterious in the moment setups with no clear direction and no foreseeable end outcome. Kafka has nice prose but I couldn't manage that book. Lately I have found that legal thrillers, most especially courtroom lawyers or investigative detectives dealing with crimes is most appealing to me. The legal system provides structure to the proceedings, the crime is made known within the first handful of pages, and the plot has a clear course going forward. I feel involved in the crime solving and legal machinations. These books only go wrong for me when the author pulls a wild tangent in the last 25% that throws out everything in the first 75%. But that's usually bad writing and rare to find in books written by competent authors.

Also really enjoy sci-fi just as long as the plot is fairly linear. I'm okay with twists just as long as they don't change the forward thrust of the narrative in a jarring manner. I understand some people really enjoy that unpredictability. That's okay. But not for me.

Lost is a good example of the sort of plot I dislike.


-edit: Speaking of books and reading, I have an account on goodreads.com where I list and rate many of the books I own and have read. username there is Mr Stewart.

My favorite books tend to be favorites based on the location and on how well the author paints a literary picture of that location and the life of one living there. I see them almost more like a tourist guidebook.

While I'm not usually less interested in the plots, if the plots are stupid and nonsensical, then I am likely to dislike them.

For example, one of my favorite short stories is called "Heartache" or "Misery" by Anton Chekhov.

I would say that avoiding fiction is like avoiding a good time.

But then I just stumbled across the ebooks on Amazon featuring all kinds of kinky eroticism poorly written and sold for a dollar.


So I too have found fiction that I would avoid.

While I used to be an avid reader of fiction, nowadays I exclusively read non-fiction. I've discovered that the real world is capable of surprising us more than can our own imaginations. As such, I basically just no longer care for fiction.

Science fiction that's light on the "science" part doesn't really interest me. I like thinking that whatever they're writing about is possible, even if I don't understand the explanations. Fantasy fiction (middle ages and such) doesn't interest me anymore as the settings are often very similar and quite boring.

I don't care much for survivor shows either.

(Thread moved from Autism discussion to Art, Writing, and Music)

See I'm more geared towards the reality shows and things like that because I have a passion in learning about social sciences, personalities and how people interact with each other.

This might sound strange coming from someone who until very recently wanted to be a fantasy writer, but I only rarely read fiction. I find my own little world, populated by my own special interests, much more interesting than other people's creations. However, I do like to read non-fiction sometimes, as that can provide me with resources to help build up my personal worlds without violating anyone's copyright. You can't rip off reality after all.