In a world where magic exists, how would you explain the concept of "writing fiction" to someone living in the 1600's?

I came up with this idea while brainstorming for a fantasy story. The premise for the story is that a modern day author is magically transported back in time to the 1600's (think Shakespearean era). The catch: they still have the memories of their past life.<br><br>In the story, the main character tries to make a living by getting a job at a local playhouse, and they try to explain what it's like to be an English major and write fiction for a living. They try to explain things like writing fan fiction, a "beatsheet", character arcs, etc. I'm guessing to a person in the 1600's, this notion of "writing fiction" would make no sense.<br><br>How would you, as a modern day writer, explain what it's like to be an English major, writing stories for a living?<br><br>Edit: added the word "magic" to the title