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Do you avoid or actively include writing about the current political atmosphere in your stories?
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I read as an escape from the real world. Which is ironic, considering that I’m currently listening to the audiobooks of Animal Farm and 1984. I don’t actively incorporate current political climates or events into my writing. For one, they are often divisive and inflammatory. But not just that. I don’t always fully understand or appreciate all of the nuance and detail in such events, so rather than misstep and misinterpret an event of great import, I find it easier to steer clear.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t politics in my books. Take Chasing Shadows as an example. The High Commission are highly political, but it’s all fiction. That being said, I have always loved history as a subject at school. As a Brit studying history, it’s no surprise that politics forms a heavy part of our history. From two world wars, to the Tudor period, dissolution of governments and so on, Britain and Europe (which we also study a lot) have a great deal of their history tied up with politics. So I would not be in the least bit surprised if my attempts at politics have borrowed from events or groups in the past.
But I wouldn’t overtly try to mimic or replicate real-world events. It’s a tough space to inhabit and do justice to. Personally, I was always a big fan of the way Terry Pratchett handled politics – with great cynicism and a heaping dose of satire.
Steven Smith 
I totally agree about Pratchett, he was a brilliant observer of the human condition. Writing Sci-fi, I can treat current affairs like history.
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Pratchett did a great job and he was genuinely skeptical of politicians, which is always the best way to approach them.
I highly fictionalize things because recent events obviously never happened in my fictional world.
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I feel as if politics these days are a satire of politics itself.
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I think there is a difference between writing political intrigue and straight out politics.
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I fear I’ll do more harm than good in discussing political things in my writing. I tend toward subtly and nuance. I’ve learned it’s inescapable. I also love British history, a focus of my undergrad courses. IMHO they were too broad, an overview. There’s so much to study!
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British and European, which have significant overlap, are filled with fantastic things to learn. Some amazing, some terrible, but fascinating none the less.
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