Or—
THIS STORIED PANDEMIC
At the two-year mark of the first Covid-19 global pandemic lockdowns, it occurred
to me that this life altering event has barely registered in books,
movies, TV-series or any of the many ways we tell the stories of our lives.
Where it’s missing most is in children’s books.
The global pandemic brought not only lockdowns with their school closures, but also face masks, vaccinations, and protests against both. It made older relatives spend their last days without family, and some families that lived and worked entirely from home. It ushered shifting directions from authorities, travel restrictions, fluctuating supply chain shortages, and daily experts' updates that often added to confusion.
But most of all,
there was prevailing fear.
This not-brave new
world we found ourselves in should have been a feast for storytellers. (“So, what else
is new?” “PLENTY.”)
Instead, it’s as
if we can’t digest any of it, and thus we keep producing reflections that
bypass the elephant in the room
At the very beginning
of this game-changing reality, I wrote a picture book that told of it; a pet chinchilla
found that it couldn’t go outside. Using animal protagonists is a way of
distancing hard realities while also giving them full emotional agency.
My then-agent felt
it would all be over soon, and so it was never shopped to editors. I understood
agent’s point. But I also thought that regardless of whether it be a brief
episode— barely a snippet in time, or one that lasts a while, it has a place in
stories.
Especially for the youngest readers, who barely remember how it was before.
7 comments:
Well, shoot. I wish your agent had submitted it because I've seen quite a few pandemic stories both from big-name authors and self-published ones. Please don't give up. Your chinchilla sounds so sweet.
In a child's life, a week, a month, a few months, can feel like forever, so I don't understand your agent's decision. As a kid book, it would fit into their perspective and memory even if it had been over in a few months. Now of course, the time frame must feel even more endless to children. I think you shouldfind a way to get your book to publishers.
Vijaya and Elizabeth, I have long let go of that story and continue to march forward creating new ones. I do wonder how, or even if, aspects of living at the time of the/a pandemic should be part of middle grade novels I'm percolating.
I would say go-for-it with your middle grade novels. It's definitely something that's had a huge impact on all our lives and especially on children's lives.
Looks like your agent blew the opportunity. Actually, several novels have come out about the pandemic, not to mention non-fiction books. Many projects might still be in process.
Actually, MirkaK, many agents still feel this way. We don't know "how it ends," and it's hard to gangue the adaptations public health throws our way ongoing. I do understand the reluctance.
There is a lot of conflicting advice to writers about whether or not to include the pandemic in our stories.
As an adult who watches tv, I appreciated the shows such as Bull and All Rise (both legal shows) that acknowledged how courts and lawyers were affected. People wore masks, juries were physically distanced, people in relationships used the phone instead of dating, judges used Zoom courtrooms. These were all ways people had to adapt to carry on with their lives.
For kids who've lived through this, they've seen their parents work from home, they've been homeschooled, they've worn masks when they went out, they've submitted to tests, they've missed visiting grandparents, they've skipped birthday parties.
I think stories that showed how people--including kids--coped with such an overwhelming two years would be reassuring and useful.
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