Story is a conversation between author and audience. I could lecture on this topic before a large group, but by writing my thoughts down, I allow for a more intimate setting. I make myself vulnerable bearing my innermost thoughts. I engage in a conversation with you about something dear to my heart.

A conversation is dependent on both parties actively engaging each other. The author is preaching if he fails to engage the audience. Allowing for this interactivity is going to make you more vulnerable. The reader brings her own thoughts to the text interpreting it in ways you did not intend. Truly great stories depend on this conversation.

I do not find Torchwood's existentialism problematic, because it is a dialogue between Russell T Davies and me about our beliefs. Similarly, my Christian faith is obvious in my short story series Map Makers. I'm not attempting to preach. My faith is something very dear to me that naturally comes through in my conversation.

Conversation is not the only metaphor for story, but much commercial television, film, and literature is bland and not engaging because the creators have completely abandoned the metaphor of conversation. It's not a conversation unless you have something worthwhile  to say. It's not a conversation if it doesn't reveal something about yourself. No matter how much you pour into jokes, mythology, or style, it will fall flat if it doesn't engage me in conversation.