One thing I really like about writing fiction is that you can speak your mind and nobody knows what you, the author, is really thinking. Politics and prose is nothing new. There are a lot of famous books that are known for addressing social issues. The one that sticks out most in my mind is Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. It is said that this book turned millions against slavery and helped to start the civil war!
I personally like books that are entertaining, provocative and educational at the same time. As a writer of historical fiction, I try to find obscure historical facts, events and figures to sneak into my stories and to create characters that represent the far-left, far-right and middle-ground of the time and then give them all an equal voice. I want to create characters that don't think and/or behave the way society expects or expected them to. This, I feel, is more true to life. People are not always, no, people are almost never what they appear to be!
It's fine for people to read something and say ''did that really happen back then? Or, did people really think, act or talk that way back then? It forces them to do some research of their own and/or to just stretch their thinking. I personally love doing research and if I find something interesting but that I can't really use right now I file it so I can maybe use it later.
You can really get on your soap-box with fiction writing and people make their own assumptions as to where the author really stands. For example, I am a Black, Gay man. So, I should have certain views on certain people, events and issues, right?
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