[Sara Davison] To Write or Not to Write About a Pandemic

That is the question.

I’ve been following an interesting discussion in a Facebook group on whether or not readers are interested in future books that will include a mention of our current global pandemic. Overwhelmingly, the response is no. Most commenters were adamant that they would not touch a book that talked about COVID-19, even in passing. Many remarked that if they never heard the words social distancing, masks, lockdown, quarantine, etc. again in their lives they would be perfectly happy.

Understandable, but that strong reaction does present a quandary for authors of contemporary fiction such as myself. Like the majority of readers, I have no strong desire to read or write about the virus. However, when books are released over the next few years, and clearly set during this period of history, it will seem strange if the story doesn’t even acknowledge such a widespread, world-altering phenomenon. Like a book set in 1942 that doesn’t mention, even briefly, that a World War is taking place.

Maybe readers and authors will need to adopt a different mindset towards the pandemic. No one wants to read a book about any difficult topic if it leaves the reader with nothing but a sense of dread or hopelessness. But a story that tackles a hard subject such as slavery, war, genocide, human trafficking, addiction, divorce, or death and still manages, in the end, to offer hope, can be extremely powerful.

Christian fiction is in a unique position to accomplish this feat.

Characters who experience unimaginable circumstances but persevere through the strength God gives them demonstrate for readers that they can do the same in real life.-@sarajdavison Click To Tweet

Tragic events that unfold with strands of God’s love, mercy, and faithfulness woven throughout can strengthen faith and provide courage and healing to readers facing their own personal trials.

A romantic suspense novel of mine, The Darkness Deepens, mentions a global pandemic – a respiratory virus that is a mutation of SARS. The focus is not on the illness, however, but on ways the characters’ faith helps them navigate and overcome this Goliath-like challenge.

So it may be with stories set during the pandemic. Certainly they will need to be handled deftly and with a great deal of prayer, particularly if they are written either while the world is still in the grip of COVID-19 or if not a lot of time has passed since the crisis has been resolved.

Even now, though, in the midst of the fear and uncertainty, God is revealing His presence with us.-@sarajdavison Click To Tweet

As I mentioned in a previous post, many believers are reporting seeing breath-taking rainbows, a reminder of God’s covenant with humanity. I’ve heard countless stories of heroism, selflessness, unity, and God’s miraculous work in hearts and lives during this strange and unprecedented time.

Although the end of this pandemic story is yet to be written, and even though uncertainty and chaos still swirl around us, I am encouraged by these accounts. They give me the strength to keep going. They provide assurance that God is still sovereign and in control and has not abandoned us. And they offer hope that, because of His presence with us, we can experience deep joy and peace regardless of what is happening in the world.

I believe that, if God is part of the story, any book that mentions COVID-19 in the future can leave readers with that same powerful, life-changing hope and will therefore be well worth reading.