Pandemic Dilemma

~ susanoleksiw

Last year about this time I began work on a new novel, making random notes on the main character, the obstacles thrown in her path, snatches of dialogue that came to me while I was out walking, and minor characters who might be interesting. This stage of the process is fun and always interesting. But there was one aspect that I couldn’t decide about. 

We were in the middle of the pandemic. Should I include that fact as part of contemporary life, or write as though there was no pandemic, no masking, no social distancing, no crowding in hospitals, and no arguments over masks. I couldn’t make a decision. If I mentioned the pandemic and all that it entails, would the restrictions of the pandemic play a role in the mystery, or could it remain in the background? (A ludicrous idea, all things considered.) If I didn’t mention it, I’d have to be clear the novel wasn’t set in 2020 or 2021—or even 2022. I waffled for weeks. At last, I went on FB and posed the question there. Should I or shouldn’t I mention the virus? The responses ranged along with the passions of the commentator.

Some writers suggested mentioning some aspects that wouldn’t interfere with the plot. This is honest and pragmatic, but as I watched the pandemic evolve, I wondered how long it would be possible to curate features of the pandemic. Others made a case for maintaining realism, depicting life and circumstances as they are and how they affect individuals in crisis, which is an honest take on a difficult problem, and probably harder to execute in practice than express in theory. And then there were the writers who were adamantly opposed to any mention of Covid-19, mainly because it would date the story and limit its appeal. I’m not sure if I agree with this or not. When I pick up a mystery, I generally know when it was published, and if not I check the date. Unless the writer is clear about the time period being different from the present, I assume the story is contemporaneous with the writer. So, yes, mentioning the pandemic would definitely date the story to a specific period, which we think is going to be a limited period. 

Every story is dated in some way. Cell phones, automobiles, DVDs, 45s stacked on a record player, or Polo coats, pedal pushers (not cropped pants), and jeans with the hems rolled up tell us where we are in time. 

In the end I still had to make a choice. We writers face choices every day even though we may not think of our work that way. We can’t get from one sentence to the next without choosing a series of words to carry a particular idea, which could change in the middle of the predicate. Still, my new novel was taking shape, and I had to decide if that shape would include masks and talk about Covid-19. Would I use the details of this disease and its spread, the restrictions on gatherings and the dangers of the illness, to move the mystery along, or would it stay in the background? Could it remain in the background? That became the key question. 

The issue boiled down to what I wanted to write about. If I included the pandemic and all its attendant issues, I had to make significant changes to the mystery, and in the end I didn’t want to do that. I decided to omit any mention of the pandemic, and I did so believing that this health crisis would pass and life would return to normal. I’m not sure I believe that anymore, but the decision was made and the novel written. It’s now in the hands of my agent. 

But now I’m starting another one, and the question is once again before me. And I still don’t know the answer. But once again, I’m probably not going to include any mention of the pandemic. If you have decided differently, I’d like to hear about your experience.

Published by susanoleksiw

I've been entertaining family and friends with stories since I was a little girl. I started writing them down along with other material as a teenager. Now I write short stories and three mystery series: The Mellingham series featuring Chief of Police Joe Silva set in a coastal New England town; the Anita Ray series set in South India at a tourist resort; and the Pioneer Valley series featuring Felicity O'Brien, farmer and healer.

18 thoughts on “Pandemic Dilemma”

  1. I think you could use some of the emotions and actions that people might experience during the pandemic, but without actually mentioning it. A character might be unable to go to the bedside of a dear friend who is very ill, for example.

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  3. Like the others, I prefer to get lost in a book. And because I tend to like to keep everything real, I would want to write about the diversion and I HATE confrontation so a book like that would drain me. My books, after the pandemic is over, might mention it, but I prefer to keep it out of my books for now.

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    1. That’s a good point, Paty. When I think about incorporating the pandemic into the story, it tends to become the story largely because the response to Covid has been so diverse, even erratic, that it can’t be held in the background until it is in fact in the background. I think it may be years before it recedes. I’m curious to see how others have handled including the pandemic so I’ll look at those books.

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  4. I come down on the side of including the pandemic. To not do so creates an alternate reality to this time period that simply isn’t there. Yes, it limits our options as writers, but it presents a truer picture.

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    1. I can’t argue with this, Bonnie. I’ve often stressed that crime fiction is a truer record of society, and now we have a time when writers (me among them) are consciously choosing to alter the period we’re writing about. Perhaps that’s why I’ve been working on a story set in the 1950s.

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  6. Susan, I’ve had the same dilemma. I am working on book three of my series and decided to omit any mention of the pandemic, mainly so the book is an escape from the harsh realities of the world in which we now live. Nicely written.

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    1. Most of the mysteries I’ve read in the last year or so were written before the pandemic, and I find myself relaxing into them, swept up in the story and glad to do so. Crime fiction is its own world, and promises the reader a separate, distinct experience. Thanks for sharing.

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  7. My latest Rocky Bluff P.D. police procedural, NOT AS WE KNEW IT, includes the pandemic and the ramifications at the time I wrote it–how the virus affected the police department and their families. Asked my police officer grandson for tips about the p.d. Now writing the 2nd and including same. I don’t think this pandemic is going to go away easily and glad i included it. Has received great reviews. On the other hand, wrote the new Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery, THE TRASH HAREM, without mentioning the pandemic. Not sure how helpful this is–but it’s my experience.

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    1. It is helpful, Marilyn, because there are two sides to this and you’ve explored both. One of the important features of crime fiction is the way it records the details of ordinary life that are significant but not always remembered or documented. Sociologists read Agatha Christie for the way she reports on changes in village life over the decades. Crime fiction may be escapist literature, but it’s also more realistic than general fiction. Thanks for sharing this.

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  8. As I tend to read most novels for escape, I don’t want any references to the pandemic. I get enough of that in my life and on the news. I also chose not to include it in my latest novel, debuting September 15th. For me, it was an easy choice to make because of the type of books I write. I would say, do what makes you the most comfortable and what showcases your work the best.

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    1. I think you have a lot of company, Heather. I’ve noticed very few writers incorporating the pandemic, and I expect that’s partly because the topic changes the story and how aspects of it are presented. Investigators in masks don’t really come across well. Thanks for sharing this.

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  9. I’ve decided my new series will be post-pandemic and will reference and incorporate some of the many good things (people helping others, etc, etc) experienced by and practiced by some of the characters, particularly ways in which the characters found their lives, attitudes, and values changing as a result of the pandemic.

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    1. This is a very creative way to incorporate an historical event without being limited by it. I especially like the idea of seeing people changed for the good by something that brought so much misery and disruption. Thanks for sharing this.

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