As a fiction writer and a reader of judicial opinions, I have observed that judicial opinion writing and fiction have many parallels--both are narratives, both put order to perception, and both communicate from an author to a reader through language. However, despite these lingual similarities, I feel alienated when I read judicial opinions, and I turn to fiction reading and writing for comfort and validation. And so curiosity and frustration have led to this exploration. I want to know what it is about judicial opinions that is alienating, and what it is about fiction that is validating. I then want to incorporate the validating factors of fiction into judicial opinions so I, and others like me, do not feel alienated. It is possible to inc...