This Is Why Most Fiction Is Bad Today

There was a time when fiction wasn’t afraid to speak with a human voice.

Stories came from people.

Not corporations. Not committees. Not the cultural approval matrix.

Just real, messy, inspired people.

And while not every story hit its mark, the best ones left a mark on us. They were bold. Unapologetic. Imperfect. But above all—honest.

Today?

Most fiction feels like it came off an assembly line built to ensure it doesn’t offend, challenge, or inspire anyone too much.

We’re drowning in content, but starving for real stories.

Where Did the Author Go?

In the past, you could hear the writer behind the words. Whether it was Stephen King, Ursula K. Le Guin, Cormac McCarthy, or Vonnegut, their stories echoed their lived perspectives, personal fears, and philosophical questions.

Their characters weren’t mouthpieces—they were flesh-and-blood reflections of the author wrestling with something.

Now? The creator is often missing.

Instead, the voice is replaced by manufactured, pre-approved messaging. The kind of writing that’s been workshopped to death in Zoom calls full of brand consultants, marketing managers, and sensitivity readers.

Whatever made the story risky or personal gets scrubbed out.

That personal fire—the thing that makes a story matter—is gone.

Groupthink and the Politicization of Narrative

Let’s be blunt: the injection of ideological groupthink into every corner of modern fiction is killing the soul of storytelling.

It’s not that stories can’t have political elements—they always have.

Orwell was political. So was Octavia Butler. But they did it on their terms. From their experiences. From their worldview. What we see today is different.

Today’s fiction often feels like it was written to pass a purity test.

The result isn’t subversive or daring. It’s smug. Sterile. Predictable. Instead of characters making choices, we get avatars spouting talking points.

This doesn’t create empathy. It creates exhaustion.

And worse, it breeds resentment. Because fiction used to offer freedom. Now it too often offers moral instruction.

What’s Ruining Modern Fiction

Let’s break it down. Here’s what’s poisoning the well:

• Fear of Offending: Writers and publishers are terrified of backlash. So, stories are sanded down to the point of irrelevance.
• Corporate Interference: Studios, imprints, and streaming platforms are driven by data and "diversity optics" over actual creativity.
• Identity Above All: Instead of complex characters, we get checkboxes. Identity becomes a shield against criticism, not a part of the human condition.
• Moralizing, Not Storytelling: Modern fiction often reads like a sermon, not a narrative.
• Lack of Risk: Safe stories. Safe characters. Safe endings. Nothing memorable. Nothing daring.

The Destruction of Classics and Legacy IP

What’s happening to new stories is bad enough. But what’s happening to the old ones is worse.

Legacy franchises—Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, The Witcher, etc.—are being gutted in front of us. Instead of preserving what made these stories endure, they’re being retrofitted to serve modern ideological trends.

Old characters are rewritten to become weak, flawed, or irrelevant. New characters are injected not to add narrative weight, but to serve a modern political checklist.

The goal isn’t to build new myths. It’s to hijack old ones and rewire them with moral scolding and hollow inclusion.

Instead of honoring the story, we dissect it like a cadaver.

Art vs. Agenda

When an agenda replaces the soul of a story, the story dies.

Fiction is supposed to make us feel something. To open our imagination. To reflect back truths we didn’t know how to say.

When it's reduced to messaging, it loses its magic. Because the best stories don’t tell you what to think. They show you people, situations, and choices—and let you wrestle with them.

In the end, what matters most is that the story has a voice. And that voice belongs to the creator.

What Good Fiction Does Instead

When fiction is working, it:

• Respects the reader’s intelligence
• Explores real, flawed human behavior
• Leaves space for interpretation
• Isn’t afraid to offend
• Doesn’t pretend to have all the answers

Great fiction gets under your skin. It doesn’t lecture you. It haunts you. It invites reflection. You remember the characters, not the message.

What We Need Now: Courage and Honesty

The fix isn’t complicated.

We need creators who are willing to put their own voice on the page. To tell stories that mean something to them, even if they don’t check every box.

We need studios and publishers to stop treating audiences like children who need to be morally guided through every scene.

Let writers write. Let artists offend. Let stories speak, even if they challenge the dominant narratives of the day.

Fiction isn’t supposed to make everyone comfortable. It’s supposed to make you feel something.

Final Thoughts

This isn’t a call for cynicism. It’s a call for sincerity.

We are desperate for real stories again. Fiction that bleeds. Fiction that dreams. Fiction that dares to speak with a human voice instead of a brand’s social media strategy.

You can feel it in the air. The tides are turning. The audience is craving substance.

Let’s answer that craving with truth.

Let’s write like we mean it.

Let’s create again.

Thanks for reading!

Hi, I'm Joe. I help creators share their unique voices simply and effectively. Here's how I can help you:

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