So here's a predicament. You are writing a book that takes place in contemporary times. You know it will probably hit the shelves two years from the time you start writing. (Because that is the reality of this biz. A year to write an 80,000 word novel, and at least a year for your publisher to get it out there.)
What, I ask you, WHAT do you do about Covid?
My authors friends and I have been perplexed by this for 18 months. In the beginning (nearly two years ago) we thought it would be a passing thing, like SARS 1. (Which by the way, I contracted in 2003 while supervising hospital staff. It was pure hell. Think cut glass in your lungs, for weeks and weeks.)
By the summer of 2020, I remember having Zoom discussions with writer friends about what the Thunderin' Jesus we were supposed to do with a worldwide pandemic in our novels. Could we ignore it - blithely pretend it didn't happen?
But then the darn thing didn't end.
So here we are, two years after the start of Covid 19, still wondering when the bloody thing is going to be over, stuck in between a rock and a hard place when it comes to treating it in fiction.
Thing is, you can't ignore it now. Covid 19 has been the most significant thing to affect all mankind, or even just our little niche in the world, since WW11. Imagine being in Britain during WW11. Six years of war hell. And then a book comes out in 1947 that is supposed to be contemporary, but doesn't even mention the war years? It's unthinkable!
So what to do?
1. Pretend it's Over
Include it in your novel, with characters very grateful to be over the Covid years.
But there's a problem with that. What if Covid isn't over by the time your novel comes out?
That's what has happened to one writer I know. His latest release talks about the bad Covid times of 2020 and 2021, and the bad times are over by the time his protagonist is telling this latest story in early 2022.
Except they aren't. And I am sure said author (whom I adore) wished he could pull back that release until our Covid days are over. (Yes, I know this will turn from pandemic to endemic, and likely to be with us for some time. I'm a career health care executive, after all. But you know what I mean. Until a time we feel safe returning to normal, because God knows, I don't now.)
2. Go Historical
That's what I've done. Okay, I planned this book back in 2019 long before the word Covid was in our lexicon. But after 16 published novels that take place in contemporary times, this was quite a departure for me. You might also say it was prescient. (Perhaps I should be dropping big money on lottery tickets...)
Writing a novel that takes place in the past is a perfect solution for a writer today. You know how the world turns out. And there is a certain comfort for the reader in that.
Which will be the subject of a future blog on here, by the way.
3. Do as another author friend of mine did: Switch to Fantasy!
The ultimate cop-out! Go different planet, Alt World, different time, different physical rules (magic etc.) The desire for fantasy novels and fantasy shows on TV has never been greater. We need a break from reality. You'll be safe in a world you invent yourself.
How about you, seasoned Sleuthsayer authors? What have you done to address Covid in your fiction? We are all stumbling through this. Comments welcome!
Melodie Campbell stumbles around the Toronto area, writing largely loopy fiction involving heists and capers that don't go according to plan. You can get her books at all the usual suspects. www.melodiecampbell.com
