Rereading The Dragon Masters by Jack Vance.
It's very unlikely I will ever write anything as good as this novella. And I would like to understand why. The villain is extremely 2D. Very stupid. One is inclined to think just not realistic at all. But, actually people in the real world are amazingly stupid. So much of the story is just this idiot's actions. And random war stuff. The dragons fighting each other and against the Basics. Vance's use of language. His style makes it work.
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Joaz Banbeck is the same hero as in all his sci fi. He comes across distant. And stoic. We actually have little idea about him. He has children. It's not clear who the mother/s is. His love interest is stupid and doesn't seem much like a mom, if she even is one. Possibly they practice bigamy. No idea. There is virtually no interaction that is more than summarized between Joaz and anyone but Ervis Carcolo (the villain) and the sacerdotes and Basic envoy. The meeting between Joaz's grandfather and the Basic many decades previous might as well have been Joaz. Same damn character.

And an award winning story.

I think the thing, the most important thing, of this and I suppose just about all other enjoyable stories, is that it's a whitewashed version of the reality of the human condition. So this way that reality is warped that makes it enjoyable to read about. It has seemed like it makes it irrelevant escapism. And though I enjoy reading, somehow I can't quite be serious about writing it. And as I instead make it realistic and relevant, I recognize that it becomes something that in this day and age at least, no one is really going to have any interest in reading.

So, I need to learn to not feel silly with irrelevant escapism. And I have often told myself that it is still of use to us in this here world. I do think that evil people don't read fiction stories. As one reads they recognize when they're acting like some ridiculous 2D villain. And escapism in and of itself is also essential anyway.