During Trump's present, it's hard to write the future, says science fiction writer John Scalzi

Here is a very real and true thing: 2017 is making it really hard to be a science fiction writer. To be sure, these times -- by which I mean the Trump era to date, let's go ahead and avoid cutesy winking allusions -- are making it hard for lots of writers, not just the ones who write science fiction. It's difficult to focus on writing, particularly fiction, when the world feels like it's on fire and everyone you know is trying to decide between hiding in a hole or taking up recreational alcoholism to get by. The rapid-fire pace of events is such that you (or at least I) end up sitting at the computer sort of paralyzed. In the last few weeks we've had (in no particular order) the healthcare vote, hurricane Scaramucci, North Korea and racists marching with Tiki torches like the domestic terrorists they are.