COVID-19 has entirely changed the global landscape and has likely driven a few writers into insanity (not that we weren't insane before). The #BlackLivesMatter movement has changed the landscape too, but in different ways. You put the two forces working together, alongside a whole range of other current events, and it's no wonder that so many of us are confused about what defines a contemporary setting.

But is it vital that we include "current events" into our stories?

I've written about this topic before, recently in fact, highlighting that if our brains are demanding that we write that story, whatever that story might be, then we should write it. Writing can be therapeutic for many writers, myself included, and putting our thoughts to paper can be a vital component of making sense of the crazy that the world has thrown at us. And I dare anyone to say that 2020 hasn't been filled with crazy—and mean it.

But the real question isn't whether we should include these current events into our stories. There are many events throughout history that have had a massive impact on the way we view the world, and that change in mindset should be explored. But by the time a book hits the market, how "current" is it?