I've noticed a tendency towards your ficlets having strong progressive themes. Spreading such messages to the masses is laudable to be sure,...

I find progressive fiction to be eminently entertaining, especially when I receive the inevitable notice of Anons :)

But since I must be honest, I have to put my hand up to having had more than enough of the “dark and gritty” alleged appeal that’s supposed to be edgy and adult. I find reality to be sufficiently dark and gritty for my needs, thank you.

I like to fight against the horrible present by imagining a future worth fighting for. I theorise that, though the grim and gritty is popular, it encourages apathy or depression. When was the era that we had the most optimism about our future? When the original Star Trek was on our screens.

Since then we’ve been distancing ourselves from that campy presentation by going darker and getting grittier. I applaud DS9 for hanging around to resolve the conflicts caused by barging in and firing all lasers… I love that they did that. They had politics and continuity and - like the Original Trek - allowed itself to take a moment and laugh at how ridiculous it was.

It’s still a little depressing when you realise that the Dark Empire and the Evil Monster don’t really mean anything. There’s another Evil Monster and a Gory Battle next week. Sound and fury signifying nothing more than the next thrilling adventure. Which has to be more spectacular than the last adventure just to keep the audience’s interest.

I also harbour the belief that anything imagined has the potential to become real, so I want to write the realities into which I would love to become accustomed. Build a world you would not be afraid to live in. Unless you’re writing horror… in which case a world you’re afraid of is perfect.

I want future that’s worth working towards. If I do cover the Dark Empire or the Evil Monster or the Glorious Battle - it has to have some meaning. Import, portents, or whatever. Something that’s not just entertaining, but also uplifting.

I have lofty goals, I know. All the better to aim for, so we don’t shoot ourselves in the foot.