RobArt Penguin

Before I go thru my rough draft of my latest book, I take some time making sure I understand the environment my story lives in. I have set my story 300 years in the future, so the question is what will Earth be like then. In previous books, my story took place on an alien planet, so I could make up almost anything I wanted. Now, I have to be logical, but not too much. Many writers (including some of the greats) choose to go dark routes, with dystopian forecasts and depictions of severely autocratic states. I’m not doing that. I prefer to predict that humans ultimately improve their lives with advancing technology, etc. Perhaps in the 1,700s there were authors with gloomy views of the future, but all in all, I think we are generally much better. It’s fun, because when I build my vision, no one can say I’m wrong, because none of us will be here 300 years from now to compare. And it feels good forecasting a place where many current problems have been solved. It’s good to be a dreamer.