Time flows both ways

One of my grandfather's favourite sayings when I was an intense little kid was, "Hey, don't worry about it. Nobody will care in a hundred years."

Something always struck me as very wrong about him saying that, but I could never really understand why. I loved listening to my grandfather talk about the old days.

Recently I was asked why I write historical fiction. I had no immediate answer except that this was the story that popped into my head. Like many people, I do things without really knowing why I do them. Writing for me is kind of like breathing. But the question weighed on my mind because I hadn't been able to answer it to my own satisfaction.

I thought about it for a couple of days, and as I mulled it over, I realized that I do care about what happened a hundred years ago, and even a thousand years ago. The verbal history of my family is something that I can weave into a rich tapestry, even if the original design is altered beyond recognition. But at least there will be some record of that lifestyle remaining.

And who knows? Maybe people a hundred years from now or even a thousand years from now will care about what happens to us. I guess we'll never know whether they do, though.

I think that's one of the reasons I write historical fiction.