Tuesday, June 4, 2019

Word: Fictioneer



fictioneer

[ fik-shuh-neer ]

noun

a writer of fiction, especially a prolific one whose works are of mediocre quality.
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               The silence of the room was broken by the loud bang of a door being opened with too much force.  Dan winced at the sound.  He had just gotten to a good part, and now his roommate would inevitably come and interrupt him.  Sure enough, Henry strode into the room and collapsed on the couch.  From there, it was only a matter of time before the TV was turned on.
               “Excuse me, would you mind not turning that on right now?” Dan asked.  “I’m trying to read.”
               Henry looked up from searching for the remote and looked at Dan like he didn’t know he was there. 
               “Why not read in your room or something, if you’re so into it.” Henry asked.
               “It’s more comfortable out here.  My bed isn’t a good reading bed.  No good headboard.”
               Henry shrugged and stopped his search for the remote.  He instead took out his phone and started fiddling with it.  The silence allowed Dan to resume reading.  It lasted for barely a minute.
               “What are you reading, anyway?”
               Dan sighed and raised the book so that his roommate could see it.
               “Oh, yeah, I’ve heard of that guy.”
               Dan cocked his head to one side.  Henry had heard of an author?  The guy never read anything that took more than five minutes to read.  How could he know about an author, even a moderately popular one?
               “Seriously?”
               “Yeah.  My sister likes him, so I’ve gotten her a few of his books before.”
               “Ah.”  That made sense.  Henry’s sister loved reading just as much as he did, among other things.  If it was not for her being in a steady relationship, he probably would have asked her out for that very reason.
               “He any good?” Henry asked.
               Dan shrugged.  “He’s decent.  Not great, but not bad.  He mostly writes filler, really?”
               “Filler?”
               “Yeah, filler.” Dan said.  He placed a finger in his book and lowered it.  He had some explaining to do.  “You know how when a show has just finished one plot line, but isn’t ready for another, they show a filler episode?  Just a nice, fluffy thing that doesn’t really impact anything.  Well, books aren’t quite the same, but the idea is similar.”
               Henry thought for a moment before saying anything.  “I don’t get it.”
               “He’s what you read between the really good, heavy stuff.  A nice, quick, fluffy read that doesn’t take a lot of brain power or time.  You pretty much know what’s going to happen, but that’s the point.  You don’t read this guy’s works to be challenged, but to sort of reset your mind for the next big thing.”
               “Ah, I think I get it now.  Wait, doesn’t that mean he’s a bad writer?”
               “Not bad, exactly.” Dan said as he leaned back in his chair.  “Not good, but definitely not bad.  Pretty average, really.  He does good dialogue, and his descriptions can be really creative.  Fluff and filler isn’t necessarily bad, you know.  Same with this guy.”
               “Got it.” Henry said, throwing a thumbs up sign.  “I guess that’s why my sister recommended him for me to start, huh?”
               “Probably.  He does make a good starting author for the genre, that’s for sure.”  Dan shifted to put himself in a better position to look at Henry.  “You know, if you want, I can point you to one of his books that’s perfect for someone who hasn’t touched a book since high school.”
               Henry picked his phone up and flicked the screen on.  “Maybe someday, sure.  But for now, I’ll stick to this.”  
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Everyone needs a semi-good filler book every now and then.  If you only read big, heavy stuff, you'll overwork your brain, you know?

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