Pulp Fiction

I spent part of yesterday with several of my best friends. Four of them to be exact. All five of us are writers. We laughed and ate, and gossiped, and ate, and chatted, and ate... Well, you get the idea. :) Though there is a fifty mile gap in distance, we try to get together once a month. It's not always easy - there are kids, jobs, deadlines, and other obligations to consider. But we do try. And it's always good.

We sit there and commiserate with each other about the jobs, kids, writing, economics, and all the other stuff people talk about when they get together for no specific reason other than just to relax with friends. It is getting more difficult, though, as some must start paying more attention to outside jobs that actually have a regular paycheck.

Writing is not known for its steadiness of income, especially these days. But on the upside, in a poor economy, that's when people often turn to books to uplift them and get through tough times - or at least forget about them for a little while.

Which is why I write and read what is known as "pulp" fiction. These are the books that don't usually have any lasting, deep thoughts to guide you through your days. They are rather a way to escape. To read about others troubles and how they survived and overcame. Whether on another world, in another time, or with beings who exist only in our imaginations (or do they?), these novels get us out of our everyday world. They give us a sense of adventure, or warm fuzzies, a sense of fantasy, or shivery chills. They challenge us, entice us, draw us in, and offer a place of refuge for however long we need.

By the way, if you want an interesting read, check out the Wikipedia article on pulp magazines. Then go pick up a good book, a cup of your favorite beverage, and escape for a little while.

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“Fiction writers are strange beasts. They are, like all writers, observers first and foremost. Everything that happens to and around them is potential material for a story, and they look at it that way.
- Terry Brooks