Even though fiction and essays share the same language, grammar, and punctuation, they’re worlds apart in almost every other way. When you’re writing fiction, it’s helpful to approach it with a completely different mindset because the goal you’re aiming for is totally different.

Essays are all about laying out facts or opinions along with the reasoning behind them. The goal is to convey information in a logical, straightforward way so the reader can easily understand it. This approach works perfectly when you’re communicating about topics like technology, science, math, finance, or philosophy.

But fiction? That dives much deeper. Fiction isn’t just about sharing information; it’s about exploring thoughts, feelings, relationships, conflicts, and the outcomes of all those messy, human experiences. Fiction aims to touch a person’s soul.

When you’re writing fiction, you start with a story—not with a set of facts. You create characters, giving them strengths and weaknesses, mistakes and successes, goals and desires. The first drafts can feel complex, like a mirage in the desert—shimmering, swirling, and constantly shifting. Because the story is so fluid, the writing process itself becomes more fluid too.

In the end, reading an essay can make you more knowledgeable and improve your skills because it’s grounded in logic. But a great story? That can move someone deeply, stirring emotions and fears, sparking hope and connection. Writing fiction demands not just logic, but also emotion, fear, and expectation. When you approach fiction writing with everything you’ve got, pouring your whole self into it, it becomes more rewarding—not just for your readers, but for you as well.