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Q&A Should I be concerned with my fiction writing containing accidental prophecies of real world events?

Stories "ripped from the headlines" are always good sellers -- the interest in their subject matter is being actively aroused by current events. Writing a novel is a long business, so to be able to...

posted 6y ago by Mark Baker‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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#4: Attribution notice removed by user avatar System‭ · 2020-01-03T20:41:55Z (over 4 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/29743
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T06:53:37Z (over 4 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/29743
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T06:53:37Z (over 4 years ago)
Stories "ripped from the headlines" are always good sellers -- the interest in their subject matter is being actively aroused by current events. Writing a novel is a long business, so to be able to bring out a "ripped from the headlines" novel at the opportune moment is often a matter of serendipity -- events playing out in the real world that are similar to the events you have already described in your novel.

Far from being a disadvantage, then, having events in the real world parallel events in your novel is a great advantage. You can go to a publisher or an agent and say, how much would you like a _finished_ novel about [some event that just happened]. It they can get it out before the interest in the event fades, they can sell a lot of books -- even for a book that they otherwise might not be interested in.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2017-08-14T12:27:15Z (over 6 years ago)
Original score: 22