I think taking an author’s page for going more in-depth on your metaphors and opinions is a great way!
That said, if the protagonist literally says “I think we should save the dragons from our man-made pollution” or similar, I don’t think that’s too on the nose, though with flawed characters that’s a risk of getting lumped in with the flaws. You’d still need the author’s note.
“Donald Trump wants whales to die, don’t let him”
The worst part is that’s not even true, they just don’t care. And Trump is just a symptom, try to avoid blaming just him as if he wasn’t elected a second time, and as if getting rid of him would magically solve things. Big structural change is needed I’m afraid.
Tbh I don’t think having the protag say something like that would be enough these days… definitely combine it with the author’s note XD Let people who get it automatically complain that it’s too on the nose or something if they want to.
You’re so right about Trump being a symptom. All of these things were devastatingly huge problems under Biden, under Obama, going back literally to Washington. Thinking we just need to get rid of One Bad Guy is why we got a Biden presidency and then many people stopped being activists - status quo was never a good thing. I think hypothetically I would give some specific calls to action + a little bit of anarchist theory in the author’s note to nudge people in the right direction? Maybe some people would say that I should let fiction be fiction, but it’s my book ¯_(ツ)_/¯ And I’m thinking if I can catch people at their most open and thoughtful, ie right after that final page, maybe they’ll intake the moral message a little more?
I think taking an author’s page for going more in-depth on your metaphors and opinions is a great way!
That said, if the protagonist literally says “I think we should save the dragons from our man-made pollution” or similar, I don’t think that’s too on the nose, though with flawed characters that’s a risk of getting lumped in with the flaws. You’d still need the author’s note.
The worst part is that’s not even true, they just don’t care. And Trump is just a symptom, try to avoid blaming just him as if he wasn’t elected a second time, and as if getting rid of him would magically solve things. Big structural change is needed I’m afraid.
Tbh I don’t think having the protag say something like that would be enough these days… definitely combine it with the author’s note XD Let people who get it automatically complain that it’s too on the nose or something if they want to.
You’re so right about Trump being a symptom. All of these things were devastatingly huge problems under Biden, under Obama, going back literally to Washington. Thinking we just need to get rid of One Bad Guy is why we got a Biden presidency and then many people stopped being activists - status quo was never a good thing. I think hypothetically I would give some specific calls to action + a little bit of anarchist theory in the author’s note to nudge people in the right direction? Maybe some people would say that I should let fiction be fiction, but it’s my book ¯_(ツ)_/¯ And I’m thinking if I can catch people at their most open and thoughtful, ie right after that final page, maybe they’ll intake the moral message a little more?