“The dose determines the poison.”
Or so the saying goes.
While it is usually applied to alcohol, junk food, and illegal substances, one cannot help but wonder if it can also be applied to seemingly “harmless” activities such as, say, reading.
Here’s why I think it can:
Ask a thousand fantasy readers and I’d bet the One Ring that 900 of them will say they read this genre to “escape” from or “forget” their current world. Not a bad thing by any of my standards, but here is where it gets tricky.
Many moons ago, I went on something that can only be described as a fantasy bender.
It was around the time when A Game of Thrones and The Last Kingdom popped off like one of Elon's rockets.
For two weeks straight, I devoured everything Amazon and Netflix had to offer on the genre whilst also re-watching the LOTR trilogy on back-to-back weekends, much to the horror of Lady Laura.
I loved it.
Until I didn’t, that is.
The first week was great, but in the second week, something strange started happening.
I’d find once I put the remote or book down to resume “my world,” everything (and I mean everything) felt…
FLAT 🫤
Sunrises and sunsets didn’t have that same wow factor. Food wasn’t nearly as tasty. And the stakes of my life were depressingly insignificant compared to the protagonists I binged.
This dullness clung to me for days like an unwanted shadow, bleeding into every area of my life.
It really was a weird experience and one that thankfully went away not long after.
Could it be that I am merely a misprogrammed humanoid?
Entirely possible.
However, as much as I revel in being a unicorn, logic might suggest I had simply consumed way too much fantastical content than my senses knew what to do with, thus dulling the edges of our own realm.
Way more likely.
Is this to say that going on a massive fantasy binge is a bad thing?
Hell no.
Work hard, play harder is what I say.
However, I would urge you to find your “cut-off” point and avoid straying too far beyond it.
It might not only save you from a fiction hangover like the one I endured, but it will also keep you from experiencing genre burnout, which is surprisingly more common than people realise.
Alternatively, you can do what I call a “fantasy fast.”
I’ll usually turn to other genres I enjoy, like sci-fi and supernatural thrillers, or my other love interest…
MICROFICTION.
Microfiction is like taking one of those sweet, yummy health shots in between large meals. While the internet is full of these tiny tales, none are quite as organised as Tiny Epics: Vol. 1.
This is my own compilation of bite-sized sci-fi, horror, and, yes, fantasy fiction that I’ve written over the years. They are short, punchy palate cleansers that are quick to read and prevent “speculative overload.”
The best part?
There are exactly 141 stories for you to sink your teeth into.
To learn more, go here:
https://djjwatsonstore.com/products/Tiny-Epics-Vol-1
DJJW