4 Reasons Why Serial Fiction Is More Important Now Than Ever Before

2020 has been a turbulent year.

The balance of our lives has been upended, and this has affected our mental and emotional well-being.

Serial stories are more important now than it ever has been in the past century.

How so?

 

 

 

 

 

Escapism. Serials provide readers the opportunity to step away from their own reality and into another. Not just in one sitting as a usual book would, but over long periods of time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Normalcy. Writers who are on time with their serials, even amid a global pandemic, can give their readers some semblance of “normalcy.” Stability in an unstable world helps those who are struggling by giving them one more reason to keep going.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Something or someone to root for. In the real world, it’s increasingly difficult to find something or someone to root for. Serials can provide readers with characters they can identify with whether they’re a hero or villain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope. According to Donald Maas, “the first task in building a compelling story world is to create hope.” This is true for most serials. The on-going nature of the serial format can take the reader on an emotional journey that has the power to transform, change, and alter their life. What compels the reader to keep returning to a given story is hope. Hope is one of the most powerful forces in the universe and is something people need now more than ever.

 

 

So, serial writers, don’t ever think that your writing does not matter because it certainly does!

Write on!

 

 

“There’s always room for a story that can transport people to another place.” – J.K. Rowling

 

“To survive, you must tell stories.”
–Umberto Eco