{"id":3369,"date":"2021-07-30T21:01:37","date_gmt":"2021-07-31T04:01:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nomadauthors.com\/blog\/?p=3369"},"modified":"2021-07-25T08:00:36","modified_gmt":"2021-07-25T15:00:36","slug":"should-fiction-writers-talk-about-politics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nomadauthors.com\/blog\/2021\/07\/30\/should-fiction-writers-talk-about-politics\/","title":{"rendered":"Should fiction writers talk about POLITICS?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I was a younger reader, I certainly wondered why on earth fiction writers would talk about politics. This was exacerbated by the strong opinions of readers around me: fiction is supposed to help people escape from the world, so stop dragging irrelevant politics into it.<\/p>\n

But then I started taking my own writing more seriously and realised, wow\u2026 actually, politics has A LOT TO DO WITH FICTION.<\/p>\n

This post isn\u2019t about whether the author\u2019s morals and beliefs are valid in fictional stories. I want to talk about world-building. Specifically, how worldly mechanics and market forces help shape the setting of a story and drive the drama. Even in romance fiction, where the conflict is about how the MC and LI succeed or fail in answering the call of love, it\u2019s stuff like politics, economics and social issues that offers fertile ground for interesting conflict to grow.<\/p>\n

\"Simmer<\/a>Take Sarah Smith\u2019s Simmer<\/em><\/a> Down<\/em><\/a> as a contemporary example. This novel may not feature US economic policy on the page, and the author isn\u2019t writing a political romance, but we can\u2019t ignore the economic circumstances that spark this story\u2014if Nikki Di Marco lets Callum steal her parking spot, her sales are likely to suffer, resulting in her making less income to support her family. In this way, Simmer Down<\/em> explores the impact of capitalism on two individuals in a super hot, sexy and entertaining way.<\/p>\n

Speculative fiction, by necessity, may include its fair share of politics, which naturally stems from authors having to create an \u201cotherworldly\u201d universe by extrapolating from the real world. Policy influences how people behave, decides how technology may be created and used, and deems what actions are acceptable when we want something we don\u2019t have.<\/p>\n

The effect is subtle in Pia Manning\u2019s Star<\/em><\/a> Brides<\/em><\/a> \"Star<\/a>series, where xenopolitics incentivises the interspecies marriages that lead to romantic tension. Thus we see how humans and aliens might resolve differing ideologies within an intimate partnership. In my own work, It<\/em><\/a> Starts<\/em><\/a> With<\/em><\/a> A<\/em><\/a> Kiss<\/em><\/a>, the romantic conflict occurs against the off-page backdrop of issues surrounding industry automation and government regulation of a UBI (universal basic income).<\/p>\n

But then there are stories where you actually get to see characters doing politics. Stories like Frank Herbert\u2019s Dune<\/em>, A.R. Vagnetti\u2019s Storm<\/em><\/a> series<\/a>, Stephanie Meyer\u2019s Twilight<\/em> universe (the Volturi), and James S.A. Corey\u2019s The Expanse<\/em>.<\/p>\n

But let\u2019s get back to present-day realism.<\/p>\n

We all share this world. We are all connected. Sometimes we connect intentionally, but most of the time it happens by accident. Global events since 2020 highlighted quite profoundly how strong these connections are, even when we can\u2019t see them.<\/p>\n

Politics (governmental or otherwise) is the means by which we negotiate the influences and resources within our world. It\u2019s in the air we breathe, the water we drink, it even governs the ground we walk on. Just try setting foot in a restricted area and you\u2019ll get a first-hand lesson in how your society approaches \u201cproperty ownership\u201d.<\/p>\n

If we\u2019re lucky enough to be aligned with the dominant political and socioeconomic position where we live, we get to take it all for granted. That doesn\u2019t mean we\u2019re apolitical, it just means we don\u2019t have to think about it all the time. We get to roll along all happy-go-lucky<\/a>, pretending that politics doesn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n

If we\u2019re not that lucky<\/strong>, though, then we remain almost constantly aware and conscious of the fact that everything stems from the forces that decide what we must endure. We may never get the experience of not<\/em> having to think about it.<\/p>\n

That book on top of your TBR pile got there because certain worldly forces permitted it to. Maybe you live in a place where books like that are allowed to be printed and sold. The author must have been afforded the ability to sit and write it, then to have it published and distributed. And you were able to acquire it because someone somewhere paid good money for it to be at the right place at the right time. All of the forces that put that book in your hands were shaped by the negotiations in our shared world.<\/p>\n

I daresay fiction writers must be aware of this<\/strong>, at least on some level, in order to write relatable and interesting stories. I don\u2019t think fiction writers should necessarily<\/em> talk about politics, not if they don\u2019t want to. But there\u2019s certainly no reason why they shouldn\u2019t<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

And, appreciating how worldly forces have enabled me to sit here and write this post, I can\u2019t help but wonder\u2014how can anyone talk about anything<\/em> without ultimately being political? 🤔<\/p>\n

This is a revised version of a post originally published on <\/em>JL<\/em><\/a>\u2019<\/em><\/a>s<\/em><\/a> blog<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

About JL Peridot
JL Peridot writes love stories and more from her home beneath the southern skies. When not sweating over an incoherent WIP, she can be found playing videogames, eating meat pies, and arguing with her cats. Subscribe<\/a> to<\/a> JL<\/a>\u2019<\/a>s<\/a> mailing<\/a> list<\/a> for banter, updates, teasers, and more.<\/p>\n

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Website: https<\/a>:\/\/<\/a>jlperidot<\/a>.<\/a>com<\/a><\/p>\n

Blog: https<\/a>:\/\/<\/a>blog<\/a>.<\/a>jperidot<\/a>.<\/a>com<\/a><\/p>\n

About Henry: A Novella<\/h2>\n

\"About<\/a>Let me tell you about Henry. I could get fired for this, but what the hell.<\/em><\/p>\n

Julie was perfectly fine, admiring the rich American Henry Aston from afar. That is, until he asked her out to dinner. But there\u2019s just one problem: CapriLuxe Perth has a strict policy against employees fraternising with the guests.<\/p>\n

Sorry, two problems: Henry Aston\u2019s married.<\/p>\n

ABOUT HENRY: A NOVELLA presents JL Peridot\u2019s hot contemporary erotica short story, originally published in the notorious CapriLuxe Chronicles anthology, and featured on The Good Bits website and podcast.<\/p>\n

It also includes the follow-up story, ABOUT HER, where we discover what happened when the Astons got back from their road trip; what happened after a chance meeting in a cocktail bar on the other side of town; and what happened when Henry finally introduced Julie to his wife.<\/p>\n