(no title)

BY NANCY KAY CLARK
CommuterLit editor & publisher

Copyright is held by the author.

I’VE BEEN wondering lately what kind of fiction people want to read — crave to read — these days. In this world of war, discord, rising prices, 24-hour-news-cycles and AI-generated social media posts usually full of misinformation, do people lean into the mayhem? Do they want to read horror, graphic crime, deep state conspiracies and anything political? Or do they lean away into fantasy, adventure, romance, happy endings and laugh-out-loud comedy? Do they want to read short or long?

Some days, I think this is no time for frivolous fiction reading. We have to be out protesting and helping and being part of the solution, or if we do read it has to be a tome of great importance and meaning. Other times I think, no, this is exactly the time for frivolous fiction reading. A great trashy novel can be a welcomed escape and a balm for an overwhelmed nervous system. Even the most dedicated of activists and political junkies need a palate cleanser from time to time.

Lately I’ve been devouring cozy British mysteries. Not because there isn’t any mayhem in them (some of those murders can be quite gruesome), but because the culprit is always caught and the world is always put to right at the end. I’d kill for a great comedic story, though, nothing too sophomoric, but perhaps a satire. Or something goofy and gentle. Or something that hits the Schitt’s Creek/Ted Lasso sweet spot — where reality isn’t sugarcoated, but decency and kindness are in the forefront.

Got any of those types of stories (4000-word long or shorter)? Submit them to CommuterLit. Seriously, please submit — our General Submission coffers are a bit low — we want your stories.