Timeless Fiction Starts With Contemporary Issues

For Authors While steering clear of contemporary issues and events may seem like the best strategy to ensure your novel doesn’t become dated, many of the books still read decades after publication did exactly the opposite. By writing about the fears, conflicts, and changes happening around them, authors who weren’t afraid to engage with the issues of their day created stories that continue to feel surprisingly relevant generations later. This week, Ginger looks at a few examples of these timeless books and explains why today, self-published authors in particular shouldn’t be afraid to let the real world find its way into their fiction. Whether you’re writing romance, thrillers, science fiction, or any other genre, grounding your story in the issues and experiences that feel urgent today can add depth and authenticity to your fiction without necessarily tying its relevance to the present. Not long ago, I was on a plane to say goodbye to my 89-year-old father. The prognosis wasn’t good and the journey to see him would be long, because I live in New York and he and my mother were right in the middle of nowhere in rural France. I packed light (inspired by James Bond) and made sure to b...