yes, I think we are mostly writing about the present no matter whether we’re writing about the past or the future, and science fiction and fantasy (and horror) allow us to take a step back but still examine our deepest hopes and fears.

An example might help clarify what I mean. I had been noticing that a lot of American right wing commentators had expressed sentiments ranging from “I hope the President fails” to incitements to violence and insurrection. I wondered what their reaction would be if some nutcase actually took them at their word and assassinated the President. However, I didn’t feel comfortable about writing a fictional scenario in which that happened (how would I feel if it did subsequently come to pass?).

So, instead, I created the United States of Vespuccia and changed the names of the administration and the commentators (although many quotes of my fictional commentators were actually lifted from the commentators in our real world; this was the bridge between the fictional and real worlds). Treating it as science fiction allowed me to explore an unpleasant idea in a way that I was comfortable with.