What is the difference between a fiction writer and a troll? One of them spins fictional tales which, while based on enough facts to help the reader suspend di

What is the difference between a fiction writer and a troll? One of them spins fictional tales which, while based on enough facts to help the reader suspend disbelief, are ultimately driven by the desire to create a specific emotional effect. Every word is calculated, every character (including the narrator) is designed with an eye toward eliciting a specific response from the reader. A successful work invites the reader to collaborate in the construction of a mental universe which is vivid enough that the reader truly and deeply experiences the emotional state that the author is trying to evoke. Of course, once the reader escapes the spell and gets a good night's sleep, he or she usually recognizes that any similarity between the fictional world and the actual world is likely to be purely coincidental... although some works of fiction are so powerful that the reader's personality is forever altered, only sometimes for the better. Whereas the other one gets paid by a publisher. So let me issue the usual warning: The reason we don't feed trolls is not just to discourage them. Feeding trolls is unhealthy for you. They drag you away from reality and (see xkcd/386) interfere with your sleep. We must be cautious about trying to conclude anything about the nature of education, credentials, society, or even the troll itself from the words of a troll, or while under the immediate influence of the words of a troll. All we can conclude is that we have buttons and those buttons can be pressed.