Think it Out Again

I've been thinking. Overthinking actually about too many things. Sadly, I've always been an overthinker and the virus is making it worse. It's making my anxiety much, much worse, too, but that's another story.

Among the thousands of thoughts that have run through my brain is the virus and fiction writing. I know, but there are so many things I can't do anything about. At least in this area--my stories--I have some control. Not total control because my characters go on strike when they disagree with me, but some control.

Among the thoughts factoring into this topic is how will this change our society going forward? Will it leave a lasting scar the way the depression did on that generation? I have to think there will be ramifications for most people because it's impacted so much of life.

With that being something that seems true, how does this affect stories that I'm currently writing? How does it affect stories I'll write in the future?

This is uncharted territory for me. The only other event that comes close to the abrupt and immediate change in how we live our lives is 9/11. But this didn't impact my writing because I was writing Science Fiction Romance in 2001, and just as we don't really talk about Pearl Harbor in any immediate way today, likewise 9/11 was far enough in the past of my Jarved Nine world that it wasn't really something the characters even thought about.

Even after I moved to the paranormal romance genre, this really didn't impact my writing because these stories were dealing with immediate life and death threats--like god-demons trying to take over the world--so past events never were much of a focus.

But at the moment I'm writing contemporary romantic suspense.

The first book in the series is already released (Wicked Obsession) and the next book in the series is looped through the first book pretty extensively and I don't feel as if it would work to bring the virus into this second story. And really, the third and fourth books, too, because it would change the entire tone.

And the big thing for me: I want to escape from the real world and this virus. Writing these books is a way to do that, to forget that it exists while I'm immersed with Finn, Griff, and company. My inclination is to just leave it alone for my peace of mind and for the reader's escape.

On the other hand, will it pull a reader out of a story if it's contemporary and not dealing with what's impacting much of the world so directly? I'm still mulling this over. As I overthink.