The Elephant In The Room
Writing Covid
Image source – emojis – Pixabay
Oh boy, 2020 and 2021 are going to be a challenge for writers of up-to-date fiction who like their books to be as accurate as possible!
It all boils down to one simple dilemma – do you mention Covid in future books or not? And if you do, to what extent?
At the time of writing, Covid has been with us for almost eighteen months if you go back to the early reports coming out of China in late 2019. It will be with us, in some shape or form, for probably the next twelve months at least, with a legacy that will stretch for decades.
By the summer of 2020, there were already readers complaining on Amazon that new releases set in July of that year were unrealistic because characters weren’t socially distancing. Of course, this is absolutely bonkers; anyone with any understanding of the publishing industry knows that it typically takes many months to write a book, and further weeks or months for it to go through the editing process. For those who are released via big publishing houses, the book’s release date will have been set months or even years in advance. I signed my latest contract in autumn 2019, with provisional release dates for June 2021, 2022 and 2023. I will submit the manuscript the preceding September, after six months or so of writing.
Last June’s release, A Price to Pay, was written in 2018/19, submitted in September 2019, and had gone through the final editing stages a month before Covid kicked off in March 2020. The only change I was able (or wished) to make, was to the acknowledgements which referenced events that should have taken place in the May, but didn’t.
Nevertheless, this does raise interesting questions about reader expectations and also reader desires. There are those who are adamant that they don’t want to read anything about the pandemic. Reading is escapism and they don’t want to be reminded of the wold outside. Equally vociferous are those who point out that a book set in 1940 that ignores WWII would seem very strange.
So what’s the solution to this dilemma?
There are several potential things that a writer could do:
Skip 2020 entirely.
There will be a glut of books set in late 2019/early 2020. Unfortunately, with no end date in sight and rapidly changing circumstances, those hoping to set a book after the pandemic may find themselves waiting for quite some time before they can write it accurately.
Simply ignore Covid and carry on as usual.
Authors can avoid being too explicit about the date their book is set – unfortunately, if you write books set in contemporary times, it can be hard to entirely conceal when the book is supposed to happen, so some readers will doubtless complain. It also runs the risk of ageing poorly. You can always pretend it is in an alternate reality, where Covid never happened, but if your previous books are noted for referencing current events, that may be a hard sell.
Wait until it all blows over before tackling it.
There were plenty of books released between the wars and shortly after WWII that sought to avoid the topic. Similarly, 9/11 was a taboo subject for a few years. But, time can be a great healer and it delivers valuable perspective.
Embrace it and use it as a plot device.
There are already plenty of writers considering the use of Covid – and specifically the huge societal changes that have taken place – as an opportunity. A murder during lockdown presents interesting narrative opportunities. However, reports are mixed as to the appetite of the reading public and publishers for stories exploiting the pandemic, at least in the short term.
A light-touch compromise.
Acknowledge the pandemic, perhaps by referencing some of the social distancing requirements, but don’t dwell on it too much and try not to let it unduly influence the story. The balancing act here will be making it seem natural, rather than feeling as if it was ‘bolted on’ to a first draft that was completed pre-pandemic.
Where does this leave DCI Warren Jones?
Unlike some of my peers, I am in a somewhat fortunate position. Although my series progresses a year or so each book – and so I can’t ignore 2020/21 forever – they are also set three or four years before their publication date. Even allowing for the need to start writing the book eighteen months before it hits the shelves, I hope to have a couple of years of 20/20 hindsight (pardon the pun) before I need to tackle it in earnest.
I am likely to take the route of a light-touch compromise, with a book set in early 2020 containing a little light foreshadowing, then a book set eighteen months later (this coming summer), hopefully when the restrictions have eased somewhat. This book will have to reference Covid, but I’m hoping it is not a big thing. Perhaps I’ll mention two-metre distancing in the office, some remote working and Warren grabbing a facemask and hand-sanitizer before going to interview someone, etc. I may even use it as a story device – for example facemasks making it impossible to positively identify a suspect on CCTV – but I don’t plan on writing a ‘pandemic book’.
What are your thoughts on Covid in novels? Are you writing a book set in 2020/21 – how will you deal with it?
Feel free to comment here or on social media.
Until next time, keep safe.
Paul
It all boils down to one simple dilemma – do you mention Covid in future books or not? And if you do, to what extent?
At the time of writing, Covid has been with us for almost eighteen months if you go back to the early reports coming out of China in late 2019. It will be with us, in some shape or form, for probably the next twelve months at least, with a legacy that will stretch for decades.
By the summer of 2020, there were already readers complaining on Amazon that new releases set in July of that year were unrealistic because characters weren’t socially distancing. Of course, this is absolutely bonkers; anyone with any understanding of the publishing industry knows that it typically takes many months to write a book, and further weeks or months for it to go through the editing process. For those who are released via big publishing houses, the book’s release date will have been set months or even years in advance. I signed my latest contract in autumn 2019, with provisional release dates for June 2021, 2022 and 2023. I will submit the manuscript the preceding September, after six months or so of writing.
Last June’s release, A Price to Pay, was written in 2018/19, submitted in September 2019, and had gone through the final editing stages a month before Covid kicked off in March 2020. The only change I was able (or wished) to make, was to the acknowledgements which referenced events that should have taken place in the May, but didn’t.
Nevertheless, this does raise interesting questions about reader expectations and also reader desires. There are those who are adamant that they don’t want to read anything about the pandemic. Reading is escapism and they don’t want to be reminded of the wold outside. Equally vociferous are those who point out that a book set in 1940 that ignores WWII would seem very strange.
So what’s the solution to this dilemma?
There are several potential things that a writer could do:
Skip 2020 entirely.
There will be a glut of books set in late 2019/early 2020. Unfortunately, with no end date in sight and rapidly changing circumstances, those hoping to set a book after the pandemic may find themselves waiting for quite some time before they can write it accurately.
Simply ignore Covid and carry on as usual.
Authors can avoid being too explicit about the date their book is set – unfortunately, if you write books set in contemporary times, it can be hard to entirely conceal when the book is supposed to happen, so some readers will doubtless complain. It also runs the risk of ageing poorly. You can always pretend it is in an alternate reality, where Covid never happened, but if your previous books are noted for referencing current events, that may be a hard sell.
Wait until it all blows over before tackling it.
There were plenty of books released between the wars and shortly after WWII that sought to avoid the topic. Similarly, 9/11 was a taboo subject for a few years. But, time can be a great healer and it delivers valuable perspective.
Embrace it and use it as a plot device.
There are already plenty of writers considering the use of Covid – and specifically the huge societal changes that have taken place – as an opportunity. A murder during lockdown presents interesting narrative opportunities. However, reports are mixed as to the appetite of the reading public and publishers for stories exploiting the pandemic, at least in the short term.
A light-touch compromise.
Acknowledge the pandemic, perhaps by referencing some of the social distancing requirements, but don’t dwell on it too much and try not to let it unduly influence the story. The balancing act here will be making it seem natural, rather than feeling as if it was ‘bolted on’ to a first draft that was completed pre-pandemic.
Where does this leave DCI Warren Jones?
Unlike some of my peers, I am in a somewhat fortunate position. Although my series progresses a year or so each book – and so I can’t ignore 2020/21 forever – they are also set three or four years before their publication date. Even allowing for the need to start writing the book eighteen months before it hits the shelves, I hope to have a couple of years of 20/20 hindsight (pardon the pun) before I need to tackle it in earnest.
I am likely to take the route of a light-touch compromise, with a book set in early 2020 containing a little light foreshadowing, then a book set eighteen months later (this coming summer), hopefully when the restrictions have eased somewhat. This book will have to reference Covid, but I’m hoping it is not a big thing. Perhaps I’ll mention two-metre distancing in the office, some remote working and Warren grabbing a facemask and hand-sanitizer before going to interview someone, etc. I may even use it as a story device – for example facemasks making it impossible to positively identify a suspect on CCTV – but I don’t plan on writing a ‘pandemic book’.
What are your thoughts on Covid in novels? Are you writing a book set in 2020/21 – how will you deal with it?
Feel free to comment here or on social media.
Until next time, keep safe.
Paul
