The Case for Gen Fic
Gen Fic: (Def) - A work that focuses on non-romantic relationships and often includes no romantic plotline
In a world saturated with romance-centered fiction, Gen Fic still chooses to celebrate and explore other significant relationships: familial bonds, friendship, workplace dynamics, acquaintances & strangers, political ties—anything and everything besides romance.
Many would disagree, but I believe culture’s constant obsession with physically and emotionally based love is unhealthy. Emotional addiction is a real thing, and relying on feelings to get through life is not only toxic; it’s dangerous. The right kind of romance is a good thing, and appropriately including it in our lives is wonderful, but when it becomes the focus of everything we are, there’s a problem.
Gen Fic encourages readers to consider personal connections outside of romance, so let’s look at four interconnected ways Gen Fic can help us move away from a romance-centered world—at least for a while:
Take a break:
We all need time to rest. Gen Fic—though not always a particularly relaxing read—can contribute to removing the societal pressure to “find someone” by showing us people just living life. Whether that means a mom’s struggle to keep her kids safe, a man’s journey to Faith, or a kid dealing with bullying, all of these examples show us valuable experiences that need consideration and often get left out or pushed aside in favor of romance content.
Romance detox:
Gen Fic shifts our focus away from a high-stress romance-centered culture and lets us concentrate on something else. Everyone exposed to media of any kind knows how often romance and romantic situations pop up. I end up zoning out or skipping through most of these scenes, and I’m honestly sick of seeing them in everything. Romance overload is a problem, and getting away from it for a while can be a helpful, even enlightening, experience.
Considering others:
A lot of people would call themselves romantically involved, but there are many who wouldn’t and some who have no desire to include this type of relationship in their lives. Consuming romantic content exclusively can blind us to the lives of those who are unable or unwilling to choose this type of relationship. Gen Fic helps us see things through the eyes of people who are concerned (at least temporarily) with familial, friends-based, or professional relationships and the struggles involved in each of them.
Personal reflection:
Reading Gen Fic includes taking time to think about who we are and the relationships we consider important. For some, personal reflection is a difficult, sometimes frightening, experience, but for others its a valued means of understanding who God made us to be and how we can live out our callings. Whenever I read/watch Gen Fic, I’m challenged to think about life in new ways.
Gen Fic can be fanfiction or original fiction, and I’ve read excellent works in both communities. Stay tuned for a post or two including some of my Gen Fic recommendations.
Do you have an opinion on Gen Fic or romance content? Let me know in the comments.