Open The Floodgates For Creativity To Flow
By: Stuart Englander
Tags: Publishing, Fiction, Science Fiction, Fiction Writing, Technology

In the year 1959, a creative genius left his job writing sales copy for advertisers to become one of the most prominent creators in a new form; the television writer.

Rod Serling’s ideas expanded beyond the small screen, eventually becoming landmark motion picture scripts. The Twilight Zone and later, Night Gallery, would become benchmark productions of the early TV era. As Stephen King is to book publishing, Rod Serling was to broadcast media.

At first, I considered writing the above story as pure fiction, taking our ‘little box’ story to the places where Serling himself might have gone. But then…

I began to wonder if anyone on Medium is reading this stuff. There are other publications here that allow for fiction entries, but almost exclusively as a sidebar; an afterthought. On ILLUMINATION, Dr Mehmet Yildiz has made a concerted effort to bring fiction back to its rightful place of prominence.

Has it worked?

Personally, I have always marvelled at the skill and imagination of my favourite writers on Medium and hope to emulate their prowess with the written word. One particular story that I had the pleasure to read recently, was one penned by friend and colleague, Liam Ireland.

After reading this brilliant piece of fiction inspired by personal experience, I thought it would almost instantly go viral. Maybe you won’t agree, after all, fiction is highly subjective. That’s okay.

Another is a recent story penned by Phil Truman,

appeared this week right here on Technology Hits, another insightful venture by prolific Medium publisher and writer, Dr Mehmet Yildiz.

The good doctor has introduced clubs for fiction in varying forms; Short Story, and Poetry. In the hopes that these places would attract like-minded individuals like Liam and myself, the good doctor calculated that a platform for fiction writers in one place would produce greater readership.

The unfortunate truth, however, is that many of these highly imaginative and well-crafted stories, barely see the full light of day? If you look at the number of claps for these stories alone, the relative result from such creative work is pitiful.

I have concluded that as a writer who also aspires to create fiction with similar expertise to these above-mentioned artists, Medium may not be the platform to give us the exposure we hoped to achieve.

Are readers more interested in regurgitated self-help, money making advice, or op-ed articles than good works of fiction or poetry? Any of these pieces that are well written and genuine in their intent, certainly have a rightful place on the ‘trending’ topics of our home page. How about fiction then? I rarely see it there.

Other platforms like Vocal and Newsbreak seem oblivious to the importance of fiction writing on their platforms. Vocal at least, provides a Poetry corner on the main subject block, but nothing for fiction. Newsbreak’s title is self-explanatory which probably explains also why I have never received a reply from them in over a month.

I need not wonder how Mr. Serling would have responded to an obstacle such as this. He would simply charge, full steam ahead. Any writer worth his words knows that little is achieved without the will to take a risk. In the early 1960s, Serling had a distinct advantage in that television was still in its experimentation stage. With only three networks vying for the eyes and ears of an American public hungry to eat up whatever ‘the tube’ offerings might be, a writer of Ros Serling’s calibre need only forge ahead into the abyss.

That did not mean that The Twilight Zone would not be without its obstacles. Science fiction on television was still a relatively untried commodity, so when a certain subject matter came up against the censors of the day, Serling needed to stand his ground without seeming too difficult to deal with.

Ultimately, Rod Serling trailblazed the way for future sci-fi successes like Star Trek, The Outer Limits, and Stargate. For the last sixty years, any attempts made to emulate the mastery of Seling’s work though, have paled miserably by comparison. That has more to do with the writing than any other reason.

Now, a world public yearns to be entertained with great storytelling. Visually speaking, the technology to deliver on this promise has never been greater.

So how then, has the written word, the very essence of, story, gone virtually unnoticed? Every time a fiction writer sets out to create a unique vision of the world for the reader, he or she takes the same risk Rod Serling did so many years ago.

They are asking you, dear reader, to step into an alternate reality and journey along in it for a while. If you pay attention, you might find that fiction writers are incorporating much more in their stories than first meets the eye.

The difference in what Serling tried to achieve as opposed to your average sitcom or medical drama, was that his stories focused on the humanity of the times in which he lived first. The science was merely a vehicle for telling the stories he felt strongly about. His allegories often gave audiences pause and made them think differently about themselves and other people. If nothing else, Rod Serling was a great humanitarian, and that is where he took his greatest risks.

Today on Medium, fiction still largely rides the recesses of back page rankings when it comes to readership. Why?

Has the technology of reader and story algorithms been distilled so much that fiction, poetry, and science fiction are unable to find the necessary inroads? Or has the reader lost the initiative to seek out the ‘different’, the ‘dangerous, the ‘road less travelled’?

Maybe we’ve just been living through a year that seems more fictional than real, and we’re just fed up.

Or perhaps, is it time for the writer to seek out new initiatives that cater to the worlds of fantasy, drama, comedy, horror, and all forms of great storytelling?

I still believe there is a place for fiction to thrive on Medium. I guess we’ll just have push a little harder, and take on the obstacles head-on. Let’s change the algorithm for more inclusivity for fiction writers.

I welcome a discussion about our place on Medium with fellow fiction writers, Liam Ireland Phil Truman Tree Langdon Terry Trueman Deena Thomson Randy Rather Vee Goldman Jim McAulay🍁 Jessica Cote, and any others I haven’t met yet. Forgive me if I’ve missed anyone on this list.

As always, thank you for taking the time. I’m looking forward to a new year of positivity all around. Until then, HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!