Coronavirus + 9 Tips How to Write a Big Pandemic Story

9 Writing Prompts from Coronavirus + How You Can Write the Next Big Pandemic Story

The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially called the coronavirus (COVID-19) a pandemic.

We understand that this is a scary time for all and we want to extend our prayers and thoughts to those who have already lost loved ones and those who are in the most danger due to coronavirus.

With that in mind, we want to take a moment to speak to writers of our time.

When historic events (like coronavirus) happen it is time to start observing.

Use what you have around you, as the famous writers have done for centuries, to take note of how the world reacts to a pandemic such as this.

Keep a journal or log of details and events that transpire and dates to go along with how much time it takes for events to play out.

#1 Observe what people do in major cities.

Because of coronavirus people in major cities are staying in more, going out less, and buying things to take precautions about what is to come.

People wearing masks all over the street used to be things you’d see in China, but now Americans are doing the same.

What supplies have you noticed disappear off the shelves?

Are you surprised to see a shortage of canned food these days?

When Hurricane Irma forced my wife and me to leave our resident in 2017 you would have thought the world was ending.

We were originally planning on sitting it out so we went to the store to buy water and canned food. All that was left were canned pineapples and beans.

We went to Walmart to buy extra gas cans to have in case we needed emergency gas. They were all out before we even had the idea.

We decided we were going to evacuate instead.

It felt like we were driving through an apocalyptic movie. It was chaos.

We drove over 200 miles away from our home before we found 1 single gas station that had a drop of gasoline.

For 200 miles every gas station was bone dry. People had already bought it all up.

For 200 long eerie miles, we drove passed station after station full of 30 or more cars waiting for gas to come, and we hoped and prayed we wouldn’t be one of them.

I was completely shocked to see this in real life and it made me realize what the world would REALLY look like in a severe world crisis moment.

That moment was scary for us, but I am thankful to have lived through it.

I can write about them because I have seen them firsthand. I observed what actually happened to myself and others around me and now I can bring those stories to others and fictional stories I write.

What things have you experienced that you can write the first-hand experience about?

How can you make the events your characters go through more detailed and more realistic because you have observed events in real life just like them?

What little details have already happened in your life because of this coronavirus?

What major events have already affected you and those around you because of coronavirus?

#2 Observe what people do in rural areas

We all know that “preppers” have their underground bunkers in rural areas and are probably already stocked up for needing to disappear underground, but what about people that aren’t regular preppers? What are they doing about coronavirus?

Are they buying up all the gas in their area?

Are they buying up all the masks at Walmart?

All the water?

What are your neighbors saying?

What are pastors saying at churches?

What things are being canceled near you? What events are being postponed?

We just received a letter in the mail today telling us that a conference speaker we were planning on seeing next week would no longer be coming and that the rest of the conference was canceled.

Not just that, but a 30-year anniversary celebration for our area was also postponed as well.

Keep things like this in your mental notes for stories you write around the events of a crisis.

What events get eerily canceled around your characters?

What letters do they receive in the mail?

What items do they have a hard time getting ahold of at the grocery store?

What weekly events do they normally go to that are postponed or canceled?

What emails are they receiving?

Who is calling them and worried about them from afar?

Who are they worried about and checking up on by phone, email, Facebook, and Facetime?

#3 What are colleges/schools doing about coronavirus?

At least 135 colleges have canceled in-person classes over coronavirus fears.

Right now you can google highschool closings over coronavirus and find a multitude.

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In our time many colleges have now resorted to strictly only online classes while the pandemic is ongoing.

In your story, are colleges places that characters flee from or run to for aid?

Are high schools and middle schools canceling days?

What does your character google and what articles come up on their screen?

#4 Sometimes other people are more dangerous than the actual event.

We have all heard of people getting literally trampled on Black Friday sales.

And that was just over T.V.s, computer deals, and toys.

Imagine when a person thinks their life is on the line and they believe with their entire being that they must do something or else.

We have seen this in movies and books a lot and it is important to note how real it actually is.

When individuals are in a panic sometimes they are more dangerous to themselves and others than the seeming danger that lurks nearby.

Lifeguards are taught to approach drowning victims with caution for this very reason as someone who is drowning is statistically likely to panic and drown the lifeguard too. In some training, they are taught to disorient the struggling swimmer if need be. They are taught to approach them and grab them from behind.

So then imagine mobs of panicking people and how dangerous an environment like that could be.

#5 What major events get postponed or canceled?

Due to coronavirus, the NBA has suspended all games “until further notice.”

The NCAA has also taken further action. They announced that fans won’t be allowed to attend the March Madness Tournaments next week, both women’s and men’s.

Universal Studios in Orlando has announced closing all their parks through the rest of the month of March.

What events get canceled in your character’s world?

Did they have tickets?

Do they get trapped at one of the events with a panicked crowd?

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#6 What is the stock market doing because of coronavirus?

Nothing brings the lows to a culture more than the economy seemingly crashing.

The numbers we have been seeing in the markets these days are the lowest we’ve experienced since the 2008 stock market crash. In fact, according to CNN, the US stocks recorded their worst day since 1987, and we are now in what they call a “bear market,” meaning the stocks have fallen 20% or more from recent highs.

The other day wall street actually put a 15-minute FREEZE on trading just so things wouldn’t crash even harder.

They had to give everyone a chance to breathe to figure out what to do next.

Are your characters optimistic despite a market crash?

Are they fearful and pulling out all their money?

Are they buying in the hopes that it will rise after the event is over?

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#7 What are governments/nations doing?

As the WHO (World Health Organization) calls coronavirus a pandemic, Italy has shut down nearly all shops and schools.

They are pretty much on a countrywide lockdown and quarantine.

More than 16 million people are on lock-down. Those who try to leave their region could face fines and jail time as a punishment for breaking the quarantine rules.

What nation is your character in?

Do they live there or are they on business or holiday?

Do they get stuck in a country that is not their home?

Do they get cut off from loved ones?

Does your character break quarantine rules and run anyway? Do they get caught? Do they get chased by the government or police officials?

#8 What are world leaders saying?

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President Trump has banned all flights from the EU to the US.

He seemed to think that coronavirus would blow over and was slow to pull the trigger to react heavily to it, but now it is affecting every nation slowly but surely and leaders must take precautions.

What do world leaders do that affect your characters’ every day lives?

What do they say and do that don’t affect them at all at first?

Are there decisions the leaders in your stories should have made sooner?

If so, what are the consequences of the delay?

What are they now advising the public to do?

What news reports are eerily playing in the background foreshadowing horrible events to come?

What reports does everyone in the diner stop to watch together in a moment of tense listening, shock, and seriousness?

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#9 What are celebrities doing about coronavirus?

Tom Hanks has just announced that both he and his wife have tested positive for the coronavirus.

What are celebrities in your character’s world doing?

Are they partying as if the world is ending or have they huddled away in their million-dollar mansions hoping no one will bother them until things settle more clearly?

Do they fly a private jet to a secluded area like their own personal island?

Is your character invited to come along?

Are they family to the celebrity?

Take this time to be helpful and caring to your friends, family, and neighbors around you. Now is an opportunity for us humans to come together and help one another as we all share a common world threat.

As writers and journalists, take this time to notice how events play out in a real-life pandemic and all the little details of things that a fictional character could go through during a pandemic like a coronavirus. Use details like these to make it more dynamic and interesting for your reader.

I hope this helps.

For those that are open to considering philosophical beliefs and religions, we believe times like these are a good time to consider what one believes and why they believe. To make the best use of the time because our days on earth are short.

We know what we believe, but if that’s something you want to consider and have never considered it before or in a while, consider looking at this helpful encouraging post: How Do We Make Sense of the Coronavirus?

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9 Writing Prompts from Coronavirus + How You Can Write the Next Big Pandemic Story

9 Writing Prompts from Coronavirus + How You Can Write the Next Big Pandemic Story

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Bluehost hosts your blog so that you can own your domain and make money blogging. Check them out only if you’re interested in making money blogging; otherwise, go for a free blog instead 🙂

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