I agree, fiction has its place and relevance. Though my use of it has been to remove a lot of preconceived notions i have about a current problem. i.e: i have a decision to make and can't make up my mind, i go read a fiction(something i've already read) and then after a couple of hours, i come across some event/story-point and realization hits. Ah that's a similar situation to my current dilemma. Related link i think fits here. :http://www.ribbonfarm.com/2012/05/03/rediscovering-literacy/