I’m so glad … for speculative fiction.
Of course, ALL fiction is speculative. There are science fiction and fantasy what-ifs …
What if a farm boy in a distant galaxy grew up to be a new hope? (Star Wars)
What if a farm girl accidentally traveled to a magical kingdom and saved her friends? (The Wizard of Oz)
… but all stories begin with “What if.”
What if a shallow rich girl was caught up in a war and had to defend her mansion alone? (Gone With The Wind)
What if a cynical bar owner met the woman who broke him and found out her side of the story? (Casablanca)
What if a sad man on the brink of suicide had a chance to see how much he means to people? (It’s A Wonderful Life)
What if a little girl in a racist town saw her attorney father defend an innocent man? (To Kill a Mockingbird)
I’ve had people say they tend not to like speculative fiction. But every story is speculative fiction: What if this happened? What if he met her? What if he met her again years later? What if they returned to the scene of their triumph? or their most bitter loss? What if someone was murdered? What if some developer wanted to tear down the old town hall?
If you like good stories, you like speculative fiction.