A Goodreads user asked Karl Wiggins:

What is a bigger challenge and harder - to write about our reality, or to write fiction? Best regards: A. Tomov - junior

Karl Wiggins I have never, ever written fiction in my life because I completely lack the artistry, yet there are so many writers who allow their imaginations to fly, build a plot, build a sub-plot and continue to write superb story lines in that fashion.

All I’ve ever written is from my observations of life. I don’t take my subject matter too seriously, and have little patience for anyone who does. I’m well aware that not everybody ‘gets’ me, but those that don’t can read the next guy’s stuff. I have no problem with that.

We walk a fine line, us writers, living in fear and dread that we might upset someone. And we’re often judged as people by what we write, even though we may be simply playing with words. Critics judge the author as opposed to judging what he writes, which is about as silly as judging the persona of a chef after eating something he’s cooked. I once wrote a poem about a rape, yet that doesn’t mean I’m a rapist. It just means I wrote a poem about a rape.

I’m going off track here, haven’t I? I tend to do that a lot. No, I don’t write novels, but HUGE respect to all the writers out there for their outstanding, far-fetched, comical, sometimes brutal, often ludicrous and downright fab imaginations. I have nothing but admiration for them.

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