A woman enters into the pages of a Bible during a storm.
As you read this article, know that there is a writer somewhere in our world who is currently bleeding their heart and soul into a manuscript. They are creating words that will one day be read by millions. Words which are destined to inspire imaginations, stimulate ideas, and impact lives.
We spoke with authors and writers who are attending Worldcon as guests of the Greater Los Angeles Writers Society (GLAWS) and/or Black Château Enterprises. Many of these authors will be in the GLAWS booth signing books and greeting attendees. Some are also appearing on Worldcon panels.
We asked them: as an author, through your writing, how do you make the future? What do you hope for the world’s future? Where do you see society in the future?
“The future is female and brown and Asian. When institutions and culture truly represent all of its citizens, everything will be better. As a character in the book One True Thing says, ‘More is more.’ More ideas, more points of view, more questioning the status quo and more voices will improve the world.
Global climate devastation, violent political and religious revolutions, and the fight for resources, which includes space, are dramatically changing our lives. And we will need all the best problem-solving minds.
“The writings of Albert Einstein, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Harper Lee and Stephen Hawking hold the power to ‘make the future.’ That is, to direct civilization’s progress. In comparison, my written words barely exist. Yet, I can hope my writings encourage my readers to make positive changes in their own lives, even if those changes are small.
“As an author, it’s more likely that I write the past, attempt the present, and hope to influence the future. In life, you make your future by decisions in the present, controlling what you have control over, letting go of what you don’t. With writing, you make up characters and worlds based on observations, but even a writer is bound by time and generally bound by the logic of this world. So, we writers can’t invent any future for our characters, we have to create believable futures for our characters and worlds.
“The future, as I see it now, is in flux, especially where society is concerned. We seem to value self over others, possessions over people, notoriety over ethics, and hearsay over science. If things continue in this vein, the human race is doomed.
“I would have said something about space travel and flying cars in the past. Now, I just hope humanity can find a way to live together and work toward survival as a species.
“Storytellers shape the narrative of the world. Stories, and the books, films, comics, games, TV shows, etc. that contain them, have served as a source for morality, provoked thought, stimulated a need for change, and inspired technology.
Worldcon is an annual gathering of science fiction and fantasy writers, artists, musicians and creators. With a focus on science fiction and fantasy literature, it is an annual destination for fans. This year’s convention is officially dubbed Worldcon 76. Every year it is held in a different city around the globe. This year it happens in San Jose, California, August 16 – 20th at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center. For more information about Worldcon 76, visit their website.