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How do you think fiction writers will deal with Coronavirus?

51 replies

TheYearOfSmallThings · 17/02/2021 22:57

Will we have a rash of novels set during the pandemic? Or will it be ignored in fictionland? Or just a passing mention?

I was looking for references to the 1918 flu in contemporaneous fiction, and I found almost none, which has set me wondering.

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LApprentiSorcier · 19/02/2021 12:06

Yes, it's a good read. I've put my copy in the 'keep' pile (I don't always keep thrillers because once you've worked out the whodunnit they don't always stand up to a re-read) because it's evocative of that first lockdown.

LadyCounterblast · 19/02/2021 16:12

Mick Herron's latest one refers somewhat archly to You-Know-What a couple of times, and the way it's referenced means it could be either coronavirus or Brexit. Quite nicely done, as it nods to it without going into too much detail and dating the narrative definitively.

HollowTalk · 19/02/2021 16:26

I've heard that editors don't want any mention of it at all, that they think their readers are so sick of it they just want to read about normal times, pre-pandemic.

TheYearOfSmallThings · 19/02/2021 17:14

they think their readers are so sick of it they just want to read about normal times, pre-pandemic.

That is sort of true, in that I am choosing a lot of books set in completely different times and places. But also not true in that, when I read books that appear to be set here and now, it becomes increasingly jarring after a year of pandemic to have people drinking in bars and flying and living a totally normal life.

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LApprentiSorcier · 19/02/2021 17:32

I think lockdown fiction may become popular once (however distant the day may be) we are back to normality. Look at how many films about WW2 came out in the 1950s. Those who lost loved ones will probably not want to look back at it, but for those who didn't suffer a life-changing tragedy, reading a lockdown novel in 20-whatever will probably feel like sitting back with a glass of wine on a Friday feeling glad that your work-week is over.

yeOldeTrout · 19/02/2021 17:42

Huge scope for scifi dystopian story writers. I think of all sorts of plot twists about this constantly. Not disciplined enough to write anything.

LApprentiSorcier · 19/02/2021 17:56

Huge scope for scifi dystopian story writers.

Although, another way to look at it would be that we've all had a dystopian experience, so the bar will be raised for fictional dystopia. Curfew? Done that, mate! Movements tracked? Yep! Neighbours reporting you for breaches? Sorry, ticked that one off as well. Must try harder. Grin

yeOldeTrout · 19/02/2021 20:53

My first plot plan...

Advanced tech Aliens come to Earth meaning friendship, but their sneaky germs are more advanced than ours, so their germs nearly wipe out humanity. Their germs evolves faster than ours so constantly evading vaccines. Aliens withdraw to feel guilty & remaining humans on Earth run around constantly evading lots of plagues. Full PPE worn whenever there are in-person meetings of new humans (usually reduced to just a few emissaries who have to severely isolate afterwards). Serious tech hoarding facilitated by how dangerous it is for groups of humans to meet each other. Aliens flap helplessly and try to promote tech development among the humans; humans plot at ways to get revenge on aliens.

Only PPE left is in hoarded aging stockpiles because manufacturing as we know it now doesn't exist. Used PPE is usually burnt for fuel/warmth, so fairly polluted air near human settlements.

Serious inbreeding problems within most human communities. I am thinking the romantic angle can be Romeo-Juliet types fall in love over zoom, meet in person, wipe out each other's communities with different plague germs. Maybe the guilty aliens will harvest R&J's gametes just before their deaths, and plan to genetically engineer with them new humans that are resistant to all the plague germs.

100 years later the descendants of plague-resistent humans rampage around the Earth making feudal serfs out of anyone else, raping & pillaging at will. Game of Thrones violence pales in comparison.

Tremendous resurgence of every other type of animal that humans nearly drove to extinction.

TheYearOfSmallThings · 19/02/2021 21:01

Sounds ace yeOldTrout! I love a bit of chick lit.

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yeOldeTrout · 20/02/2021 03:03

I was thinking of an mood more like District 9 on that one

Now for something that 'feels' a bit like The Fifth Element, how about this flick plot...

too-near future when most everyone lives in densely packed urban centres. PPL have to be tested daily before they can leave their homes because of circulating plague(s) that have stymied humanity for many decades. Limited resources but communist style society where everyone lives in small basic spaces, has basic needs met. Temperature checks at buildings and lots of 'have to ask permission' rules, like when to start a family due to scarce resources. There are occasional lockdowns because Plague is rife but then lifted again for long spells when people can see others 'normally'. Every institution and activity has constantly changing social contact rules. Life in countryside is much less constrained but food supply in danger because country life allows more contact with others & plague-prone animals. Agricultural workers get the Plague more often which disrupts food supply.

Sporadically there are mini outbreaks of the Plague which kills someone & govt promotes widely accepted message that it's usually the fault of those who get Plague that they didn't follow all the precautions. Lots of rules. Just follow the social contact rules & you'll be fine.

Crazy menacing old bag lady on streets (played by very scruffy BetteDavis type, about 70yo) opens first scene with rantings about "They aren't telling you the truth" which our hero (someone like Will Smith, but 25 years younger) throws coins at coz he's the only person not scared of her. There aren't many elderly people around because they seem to keep dying because of plague, so young people are openly afraid of the elderly in this society NotWillSmith is off to see his girlfriend (played by someone like Halle Berry, but 25 yrs younger). We see their cozy relationship and lots of govt virus control rules they live under. Not-WillSmith has a group of buddies at his work (something that feels working class but is actually high tech, probably involving digital communication network maintenance).

Work buddies include actors played by Daniel Kaluuya, someone like Michael Keaton but 40 yrs younger, and a host of 4-10 others, including someone like EvaMendes but 15 yrs younger.

NotWillSmith sees something weird happen to notHalleBerry but thinks nothing of it. Soon after, Not-HalleBerry gets sick with the plague. In his desperation to help her, notWillSmith goes on a series of adventures eventually discovering that the Plague doesn't exist, it's all govt con to control the population which is still desperately too large for food supplies. People appear to randomly get plague & publicly villified for their carelessness and irresponsibility in catching it, but it's actually a toxin put into them to mimic plague symptoms and there might be a cure. notWillSmith might be able to save notHalleBerry. There is indeed a food supply crisis but this is caused mostly because of environmental pollution having degraded soils not rural workers always getting sick. BetteDavis-like old lady gets dragged around with notWillSmith and his workMateFriends, who are helping NotWillSmith fight the shadowy govt figures and try to expose the huge lies using their working class knowledge of the basics of the digital comms network and how to hack it, find out how info has been manipulated. All the while becoming fugitives and evading authorities and eventually breaking into the home of a politician or journalist believed to be half-sympathetic to revealing the truth about no-actual-plague to the full population.

Politician is very hard nosed, played by Marg Helgenberger and agrees to help the renegades.. but she is soon killed in ambush by shadowy figures. NotMichaelKeaton dies defending notWillSmith (coz the token best friend white guy always dies). Pursuing clues about the assassins leads notWillSmith to find out and confront the ultimate powerful bad guy .. played by MorganFreeman (who doesn't play near enough villains). Thru many little plot twists, bit of techno wizardry, great bravery and ridiculously good luck, notWillSmith, Kaluuya & gang manage to expose Morgan Freeman and the Plague-Myth truth to the entire population.

But will ppl believe the revelations or insist it's all a conspiracy theory? Is next big problem looming.

penultimate scene is notWillSmith getting antidote to notHalleBerry who seems to recover but is weak. Our heros flee to the countryside where they can adopt aliases and plan what to do next. Indeed govt can't track people at all very well in countryside.

Last scene: Kaluuya, notEvaMendes & notWillSmith talk about the challenges ahead, with BetteDavis-clone still doing odd, menacing things in background (she was totally nuts but also saying truth all along). There are a few key plot points where she produces information or skills that helped the group advance their quest... one of the sequels will be her whole backstory and why she was able to live in spite of her dangerous knowledge of the truth -- probably inherent immunity to the toxin which made govt want to study her... maybe harvest her genes to do genetic engineering on the elite class and render them permanently immune to the toxin, too.

JaninaDuszejko · 20/02/2021 08:29

Excellent plots yeOldeTrout, you need to move to Hollywood pronto.

YouSetTheTone · 20/02/2021 10:07

I came on to mention Catherine Ryan Howard’s upcoming novel too. It’s set in the first lockdown in Ireland when new couples were advised to either move in together or not see each other. They move in together....
I happen to know it’s fantastic!

I was also going to mention STILL LIFE by Val McDermid. The last part of the book drips in the characters’ increasing awareness of covid-19 and the move towards the announcement of lockdown. It’s quite eerie!

TheYearOfSmallThings · 20/02/2021 10:26

I'll give both of those a go and, yeOldTrout, if you can get your film green lighted, I wish to audition for the crazy Bette Davis lady.

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yeOldeTrout · 20/02/2021 11:46

Plot 3... backstory of BetteDavis

20 yrs earlier (about yr 2080), BetteDavis (played by NicoleKidman) is fusty boring uptight lady, recently widowed with lonely life, maybe a goldfish. 2 adult children who can barely stand her. When NKidman was young (30 yrs before that) is when the plague first arrived, and it was the irresponsibility of her generation that drove its wild spread. They were blamed. But some were perfect good girls like Kidman who has always been a strict rule follower and sees self as superior; bossy annoying person.

Kidman has a nephew who is a geneticist, maybe played by 30yoish version of Joaquin Phoenix, married to (played by JenniferLawrence) the character who became Marg Helgenberger. JP is new wheelchair user due to a slowly progressive neurogenerative condition. JP & JL have 2 young children and are rising stars in their careers in spite of JP's looming illness. They both despair of but are fond of uptight aunt NicoleKidman.

Govt decides Kidman is good person to bump off with the toxin that fakes virus, as someone part of the original generation of bad-doers and anyway, everyone finds her an annoying pest. They give her lots of toxin... she survives. Baffled at her immunity, govt kidnaps Kidman to study her genes. They torture her and expose her to all sorts of germs and toxins, while culturing her blood & genes with view to controlling her resistance. Kidman goes from uptight "I'm perfect" idealist to being a very mad (every sense of the word) version of Sarah Connor (of Terminator ). The torture & experiments mean Kidman loses her own identity but she retains memory that the toxin is fake, the whole plague thing is govt strategy to control the population, and much knowledge of how the whole scam runs.

JLawrence is a hot journalist and sets out to find her husband's suddenly inexplicably missing dotty uptight aunt. Slowly drawn into a series of revelations until she realises Kidman has been kidnapped, tortured; JL rescues Kidman & they hide out somewhere for along enough for JL to know she can't get Kidman's identity back.

Eventually, govt negotiators reach JL trying to coax her to surrender self in exchange for some kind of amnesty . They argue why all this charade was necessary & for the population best. Deal is JL must keep toxin secret, not reveal fake plague-mongering, for which she will have assured the great futures of her young children & be allowed to be a member of the govt and she can shape the policy to cause the least net harm. JL's husband seizes on this offer saying "We have to save ourselves, we can't sacrifice our children's futures." Plus there is promise from govt of huge research funds that might help cure his progressive disease, etc.

JL reluctantly agrees as long as Kidman gets to live safely (in a new city far away). JL makes clear she will release all true info about govt if govt renege, or she or her family get virus/have suspicious deaths.

But really JL (who later becomes politician Marg H) is an "Aunt Lydia" type character plotting the regime's downfall for next 20 years. Not sure if her husband dies anyway or if they have a very bitter divorce.

Oh, and lots of PPE and social contact rules & govt extension of emergency powers, travel bans, etc.

TheYearOfSmallThings · 20/02/2021 11:50

Score! I can also play the Nicole Kidman part (I am not Bette Davis aged, it is just that lockdown has not been kind to me).

I really think this project has legs!

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SOLINVICTUS · 20/02/2021 19:29

I think there will be thousands, and the vast majority will be dreadful. They'll be either chick finds love whilst quarantined (it'll be surly neighbour she's always hated) or chick finds love and he dies of Covid, or Robin Cook style pandemic! Contagion! Conspiracy! stuff.
The shelves are going to be full of them.

Bainne · 20/02/2021 19:49

@SOLINVICTUS

I think there will be thousands, and the vast majority will be dreadful. They'll be either chick finds love whilst quarantined (it'll be surly neighbour she's always hated) or chick finds love and he dies of Covid, or Robin Cook style pandemic! Contagion! Conspiracy! stuff. The shelves are going to be full of them.
They won’t get published enough masse, but agents will get thousands, and the vast majority will be jettisoned the moment the synopsis mentions lockdown/Covid/ dystopian scenario involving unnamed virus etc.

There will also be ‘slummy mummy does lockdown homeschooling’, ‘Rear Window Lockdown psychological thriller’ and memoirs of ‘lockdown means heroine loses job, finds self etc.’

horridhorrid · 20/02/2021 19:55

It's going to be grim, isn't it?

And can you imagine the endless documentaries on the 'Yesterday' channel...?

ragged · 21/02/2021 07:42

I understand documentaries but how can anyone make

Qs at supermarkets
covidiots
'nowhere to go'
bog roll shortages
kids stuck off school
furlough

into plot points in romantic fiction?

Spudlet · 21/02/2021 07:52

I’ll be interested in how the writers of series of novels with a contemporary setting deal with it. Things like The Dresden Files, for instance - how does this fit in, or will it be just be ignored? Does it just get a passing mention but the next book is set after the pandemic, so the hero doesn’t have to go about his business in a face mask with social distancing?

TheYearOfSmallThings · 21/02/2021 11:02

I’ll be interested in how the writers of series of novels with a contemporary setting deal with it.

They may just ignore it. I love the Maigret books, which reach from the 1920s to the 1960s. Maigret would therefore have served under Nazi occupation, at a time when Jews were being rounded up and sent to Drancy, but the war is simply never mentioned either in the books published during the war years, or later.

Mind you Simenon may have been a collaborator. With the pandemic there is not the same motive to avoid the subject.

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StepOutOfLine · 21/02/2021 15:02

Just the Amazon blurb on that one makes it sound appalling. "Four horsemen of the apocalypse" "valiantly written in real time".
Yack.

WhatsTheEffingPoint · 22/02/2021 22:03

Lockdown - Peter May
It's a crime story set in the midst of a global pandemic, similar to Covid. Its not amazing writing but it's not a bad read.

He wrote it many years ago and apparently it wasn't ever published as it was seen as too far fetched....🙄

LeopardFever · 25/02/2021 20:10

There'll be all sorts of ridiculously hyped dystopian "debuts" from blue-hairs who've had nowt else to do but write during lockdown.