Shifting

Fall has shifted into winter around here. The old year will soon shift into a new one. A new administration is coming in — one which promises to take us into much darker times. And I am still trying to shift into a new writing project.

But stories don’t exist in a vacuum. They are shaped by their time and place, the people around us, and important events in the world. Part of my hesitation around what to write next may come from the uncertainty of these times.

Looking back at what I’ve written in the past, I can see the trend line. My Minstrels of Skaythe series began in 2018 and continued through the first Trump presidency. The White House was in the hands of an erratic narcissist. Human and civil rights were under constant attack. Then came a terrifying pandemic — followed by an attempted coup.

The direct inspiration for Minstrels certainly was the Dragon Age video games, but the darkness of its setting definitely reflects the stress and uncertainty of its era.

By the time I completed that series, we were into the Biden presidency. That administration used its powers to support the people through the pandemic and staved off economic collapse. It’s been a time of renewal and hope for the future. This era allowed me to write Cleodora, the tale of a bold young girl trying to save her world from climatic disaster.

Yet, the pendulum is about to swing again. We are returning to chaos and endless threats to human and civil rights. Publishing Cleodora now seems almost naive. The story is coming out in a different era than when it was written. (I will publish it, though. Don’t get me wrong.)

I still don’t know what I’m going to write next. But I suspect, as storm clouds gather and the light of freedom fades, that my next story will again reflect a darker era.

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