Whenever someone—anyone!—comes around with the writerly advice along the lines of, “Your worldbuilding must be consistent!  Unchanging!  Immutable!” I truly want to wince.  When justification of that advice is couched as a reflection of the “Real World,” my wince turns into a grimace.  Sometimes an eye-roll.  On rare occasions, I might indulge in an under-the-breath “Oh, for fuck’s sake.”

I’m not to the point of shouting about it.  Not quite yet, though I’m getting close.  Y’see, I believe th...