THE NEW NORMAL
VOICES FROM THE PANDEMIC
A memoir is a journey through the writer’s past. It is not an autobiography – one’s entire life – but a slice of life.
The trying period since January 1, 2020 makes sense to each of us because we have lived through it. Our reader, on the other hand, needs to make sense of the changes during the period covered by our memoir. The task for us as writers is not only to tell the reader what happened during the Coronovirus period, but to bring them along on the journey so they can experience it for themselves.
The last six months is similar to a number of other critical times in our history — the Kennedy assassination, the landing on the moon, and the 911 attack. Everyone remembers where they were during those times and undoubtedly they will remember what they were doing during the Coronovirus Pandemic. Having written a memoir of your experience will help others understand what you did during this trying period. Creative nonfiction is useful in a memoir as it helps bring scenes alive with enhanced setting and dialogue. Many personal history memoirs succeed because the writer transforms real people into compelling, fleshed-out characters on the page.
During four weeks in May 2020, a number of people attended ZOOM workshops we provided on the story-telling techniques needed to help document a new normal memoir.
We have tried to capture voices from the Pandemic — healthcare workers, educators, people who have experienced loss, writers and entertainers without audiences, and a special group, sixth graders trying to understand why? None of these voices know what the future holds. We don’t either, but we have tried to document where we are now.
We hope you enjoy the stories in this anthology and perhaps better understand what this trying period has meant to many of us.
Don Helin, Editor
Cathy Teets, Publisher
During his time in the military, Don Helin served at a number of stateside posts as well as overseas in Vietnam and Germany. He is the author of six thrillers that draw from his military experience, including three tours in the Pentagon. He writes for “TheBurg”, a community magazine based in Harrisburg.
His novel, Secret Assault, was selected as the Best Suspense/Thriller at the 2015 Indie Book Awards. His novel, Long Walk Home, won a Five Star review at Readers Favorite Awards and his latest novel, Roof of the World, was just awarded a Finalist in the 2020 Indie Book Awards.
You can reach Don at: http://www.donhelin.com.
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