The only time you can lie
The only time you can tell a lie is when you are writing fiction.
As a writer, you either make the strange familiar, or when we become too familiar with it, make it somewhat strange.
Writing fiction is an exercise in telling lies - first, to yourself, then to the reader. You tell stories that are yet to exist or didn’t happen, until they become a form of truth.
You create a world that exists only in your imagination, and write about it in ways that convinces the reader that they are part of this shared experience.
That lie is useful.
Especially because of how it makes us feel. Reminding us of what matters - to you, to others and the writer.