Is the State of the World Affecting Your Writing?

It’s become increasingly obvious that the fate of the world is keeping me from completing my current work in progress. Every day I try to concentrate, then a crisis distracts my attention and mires me in a variety of fears, insecurity, and shock. Where I used to worry about what my main character would do next or what I’d make for dinner, now I worry about the survival of our people from the cold and hot realities of life on this planet, children I don’t know and never will, and the threat of another foolish and unnecessary war.

I worry that our government representatives, people we put in place to take care of those things, seem not to worry about anything other than enriching themselves and putting their ideological desires for power ahead of their own grandchildren. Doesn’t anyone consider the consequences? Have they never seen a dystopian movie or read a book where the aftermath of greed, the thirst for war, or the quest for power leaves us destroyed? Hell, if 1984 by George Orwell or The Children of Men by P.D. James, about the inexplicable infertility of the human race—probably caused by poisonous chemicals, in my opinion―or the rear view mirror of history doesn’t inspire them to look forward, what will? Even the genre film Mad Max series should have some message for them.

These books used to be considered science fiction. They don't seem that way anymore.

My book is political. It’s about a man who speaks up about what he considers his government's inhumane abuses toward people under its control, and as a newspaper publisher, he has the platform to promote his opinion to every citizen. For some he’s a hero; for others he’s a traitor. Those who consider him the latter, plan his assassination, not in his country, but in ours. Not just anywhere but in front of the United Nations where he is to give a speech. It's up to a retired military general and his twin sons, both who have been changed by war, to stop the murder.

I started this book a long time ago and put it aside. I thought things will change. A sane head of government will be elected, a peace accord will be reached, and my story would be obsolete. But that did not happen; in fact, things are worse. Sides are split, vitriol is the tone of the day, and people have lost their moral compass. Politics span countries. What happens in one country affects others, and in turn, affects the world.

Writers are influenced by what happens―in their homes, in their cities, and on the planet. In whatever genres we write, we incorporate what we see and feel around us, whether we know it or not. Bits and pieces creep into our dialogue, in the actions of our characters, and yes, in our plots. Many of us have sponge-like minds, curious natures, and feel the righteous duty to explore and expose the inequities as fodder for our stories.

In my novels, I’ve tackled criminal justice, racism, the plight of the handicapped, sexual and vicious assault, vigilantism, art theft, Satanism, and prostitution. Writing about politics is pushing the envelope in a divided world. I’ll eventually finish this book. Some might not like the way it comes out, and I’m sure there will be critics. But what the hell.

Polly Iyer is the author of nine novels: standalones Hooked, InSight, Murder Déjà Vu, Threads, and Indiscretion, and four books in the Diana Racine Psychic Suspense series, Mind Games, Goddess of the Moon, Backlash and The Scent of Murder. A Massachusetts native, she makes her home in the beautiful Piedmont region of South Carolina. You can visit her website for more on Polly and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.