I don’t think there has ever been a more interesting time to be a writer than now. We write so often about doom and gloom in dystopian/post-apocalyptic fiction, and now it’s like we’re in it. What kind of future do you think we’ll have? Are we going to become a civilization of hermits? Like mammals who live solitary lives? Only interacting briefly to mate and raise offspring? I always wondered what such a world would be like. They say that the herd mentality is what’s enabled humans to survive, but now it looks like that is the very thing that could kill us. It’s all about social distancing now, and I wonder how long that could last. I know for some people (like introverts) it’s probably heaven on earth right now. No more awkward conversations, overwhelming crowds or constant movement that sucks the energy out of you. But where does that leave everyone else? What about the people who crave social connections and the company of fellow human beings? And what about the ones who need to escape from the little hell that is forming all around them (they might manifest themselves as little demons you have to feed and entertain, all while watching your savings dwindle)?
Hopefully, as a writer, I can help with that latter part. Or maybe even the former, too. While people are stuck at home with nothing to do (or too much) maybe I can create an escape for them. Maybe I can create that fantastical world they so crave. And maybe,too, I can warn them that if they don’t think seriously about where the world is headed, things might never get back to normal. That’s why I like post-apocalyptic/dystopian fiction. It speaks to our present by painting a grim picture of the future, a future that future generations might very well inherit if we are not careful.