3 Reasons Why I Write Speculative Fiction

I've always been drawn to stories that mess with what's real—ghosts, dreams, time travel, mysterious voices, the whole shebang. There's something magnetic about the unknown, something that grabs me and won't let go until I see where it leads. Sometimes people ask why I don't write normal stories. But the truth is, I feel most alive when I'm writing speculative fiction.

Here's why I keep coming back:

1. It's a safe space for tough topics.

Speculative fiction gives me room to look at things that feel too raw or complicated to talk about directly. When the world in a story isn't like ours, it's easier for me to write about real feelings: sadness, who you are, what's not fair, worries, and wanting something you can't have. Stepping outside reality lets me look at those topics from a different angle.

A haunted house might really be about a family falling apart. A city in the future that erases your memories might be about how we want to forget the bad parts of life. These metaphors give me some space while still getting to the heart of things. Sometimes the best way to tell the truth is to tell it sideways.

Speculative fiction helps me do that. It makes things a little easier to handle while still getting to what matters.

2. I love asking “What if?”

Speculative fiction runs on curiosity. What if the sun disappeared for ten years? What if your dreams told the future? What if the voice in your head wasn't yours? These questions get my mind going.

When I write these stories, I get to see what could be. I get to see what happens when reality is twisted a bit—or turned upside down. Sometimes those stories get dark. Sometimes they're amazing. Sometimes they're both.

But they always teach me something—about the world, people, and myself. What if? isn't just a writing thing. It's how I think. And I don't want to lose that.

3. Imagination is where I feel most free.

There are no limits in speculative fiction. No rules. I can make up whole worlds, change history, bend time, or break the rules of physics—and if the feelings are real, readers will stick with me.

That kind of freedom is rare. And it's strong. It lets me write stories that don't fit neatly. It allows me to look at ideas that are too big or weird for the real world. Even when writing is hard—even when I get stuck—just knowing I can go anywhere keeps me going.

Speculative fiction is where my imagination feels most at home. I don't feel like I have to hold back.

Writing speculative fiction has helped me grow—as a storyteller, a thinker, and a dreamer. It's taught me how to ask tough questions, face the unknown, and put words to feelings I can't always describe.

So if you think your ideas are too weird or too much, I'm here to say: they're not. The strange is welcome here. It's the whole point.