Fiction with an interesting concept Options

[Wytil]

Several years ago an American author Robert A Heinlein introduced an interesting concept in some of his fiction novels. The concept was that fiction became real or alive as soon as enough readers beleived in it.
In the book "The Number of The Beast" the first device for such traveling was invented and off through whatever our heroes went. 8)
Among the places they visit
I wrote a short story a couple of years ago and put it on FF.net. I think it was probably incomprehensable to most of those who stumbled across it.
But then I would not be surprised, most stories with a philosophical bent would be.

[Imogen]

QUOTE

The concept was that fiction became real or alive as soon as enough readers beleived in it.

That is pretty interesting - how did he work it? Was it that fiction actually became reality when people believed in it, characters were forced into existence and plots happened in real life? That could be fairly sinister...

Or is it just that fiction lives through those who read? Without a reader fiction is just words, but our interpretation makes things alive.

Or is it something completely different and I've missed the point?