I’m writing this on November 7, when it’s hard to concentrate on anything but current events. It’s been quite a week for those of us in the US, and I’m guessing many of you in the rest of the world were watching closely too.

But this raises an interesting question: how do writers deal with current events in their work?

When writing non-fiction, current events are often par for the course. For example, my day job is criminal justice professor, and I specialize in extremism and hate crime. Since, unfortunately, these topics remain perennially relevant, I often write academic papers and presentations about events that have just happened or are in progress. The main challenge there is not leaping to conclusions before all the facts are in. Putting things in historical context helps a lot.

Current events can also play a part in fiction in settings other than the contemporary world. Historical stories can help give perspective on what’s happening now. Speculative fiction has a very long and honorable history of taking current topics—especially sensitive ones—and masking them a little by sticking them on other planets or other worlds. Sometimes it’s easier for people to think about things like poverty, bigotry, fascism, violence, colonialism, and so forth when those very real things are happening in an imaginary setting. This is something I’ve explored myself. My very first books, for instance, are dark fantasies set in an alternate universe, but the balance between safety and freedom is a central theme—as it is, I believe, in modern America.

I think the most challenging genre when it comes to dealing with current events is contemporary fiction. I know that right now a lot of authors are struggling with what to do (writing-wise) about the pandemic. It’s really hard to ignore, and has the potential to spark a lot of interesting plots. But it’s hard to get any emotional distance from something you’re still living through, and for many people it may hit too close to home. Plus things can change so rapidly—what seems fresh and accurate today may be wildly out of date next year when the book goes to print.

What are your thoughts on the place of current events in fiction? Do you have favorite examples?

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Kim Fielding is the bestselling author of numerous m/m romance novels, novellas, and short stories. Like Kim herself, her work is eclectic, spanning genres such as contemporary, fantasy, paranormal, and historical. Her stories are set in alternate worlds, in 15th century Bosnia, in modern-day Oregon. Her heroes are hipster architect werewolves, housekeepers, maimed giants, and conflicted graduate students. They’re usually flawed, they often encounter terrible obstacles, but they always find love.

After having migrated back and forth across the western two-thirds of the United States, Kim calls the boring part of California home. She lives there with her family and her day job as a university professor, but escapes as often as possible via car, train, plane, or boat. This may explain why her characters often seem to be in transit as well. She dreams of traveling and writing full-time.

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