Why We Need Fiction (Especially the Messy Kind)

I yelled.
I raged.
I cheered.
I begged for more.

And that was all just while I was reading Soft Launch this week.

I’m not even sure I know how to neatly sum up this book…but maybe that’s the point. What it made crystal clear to me (again) is this…

We need fiction.

Not as escapism alone. Not as a checklist of morals. But as a mirror to our humanity, our contradictions, our mess.

So often, when we talk about literature as a way of understanding the human condition, we point to the classics. And yes, I get it, they’re classics for a reason. They’ve endured because they say something timeless about who we are.

But I want to make a case for contemporary fiction, using Soft Launch as my exhibit A.

We meet Sam… newly divorced, chasing what she thinks she wants, and carrying a whole bundle of what the hell am I doing with my life energy. She’s smart, flawed, ambitious, reactive, tender, and, at times, deeply frustrating to the reader.

While reading her story, I went through a full emotional arc of my own…

Well, at least I’m not like that.
…
Wait.
Am I like that?
…
Wow. I’m actually really grateful for my messy life.

Sam’s friends show up for her, not as cheery secondary characters who tell her she’s always right, but as people who love her enough to tell her the truth. The relationships in her life are complicated (to put it mildly), and each one reveals something different about her values, her blind spots, and the moral choices she’s navigating, often imperfectly.

I am not a first-year attorney.
And after reading this book, I can confidently say I have zero desire to become one. (I need my sleep.)

But as a human? I can absolutely use Sam’s imperfect life to reflect on my own.

That’s where contemporary fiction has it’ moment to shine and really help us take a hard look and our live... and see what we might want to change or what we like and want more of.

Seeing a working woman drink copious amounts of coffee, worry about money, spiral internally, and narrate her life during late-night Uber rides feels far more helpful than another self-help principle promising to make me organized, productive, and “living my best life” in 90 days.

Life is messy.

And maybe we don’t always need to be fixing ourselves.
Maybe sometimes we need to recognize ourselves.

Fiction lets us do that safely. It gives us space to explore choices, consequences, and contradictions without turning everything into a lesson or a be a part of the 1% hack. It allows us to say, oh—I’m not alone in this.

So yes, read the classics. Love them. Return to them.

But also… read the books where the characters are a little lost. A little caffeinated. A little unsure of their next step. The ones that make you cringe, laugh, argue, and reflect.

Because stories like that don’t just entertain us.
They remind us that being human is already enough.

And honestly?
I think it today’s craziness, that’s something we all need to hear.

If this book has you curious (or already nodding along), here’s a little nudge…

✨ Soft Launch is available right now through Amazon First Reads for Prime members.
✨ It will be available to everyone on February 1st.

We’re starting our Mini Monthly Challenge tomorrow inside The Literary Assistant community.

This month’s challenge is designed to help you…

• slow down and observe what’s working (and what’s not) with your newsletter, Substack, and social media

• reconnect with your creativity

• and make small, meaningful shifts… without pressure or burnout.

It’s gentle. It’s low-touch. And it’s perfect if you’re craving clarity as we move into a new season.

The Literary Assistant community has now donated 23 books to women in need.💝

Your support means the world to me! For every membership upgraded to $7, I donate a historical fiction or romance book to a local women’s shelter.

The Literary Assistant is Reader-Supported. Your support helps keep this space thriving for book lovers like you! 😊

Affiliate links are occasional used at no extra cost to you the reader.

---

Are you an author looking to improve your writing and marketing this year? Come join in the Publisher’s Pathway series taught by Colin Mustful (writing and publishing) and myself (marketing, social media, and Substack).

Register individually as a standalone event or gain access to the Zoom link with a paid subscription to Colin Mustful’s Substack for more History Through Fiction content.