I heard an interview with Stephen King and he had some interesting comments.
1. He is finally making progress on a book that he was a bit stuck on, "because there's nothing else to do." This is something I've been thinking about. 2020-2022 is going to be a terrible time for writers and a great time for readers. Expect a glut of books that have been in the works for years that finally come to fruition.
2. He had to change the setting for the book. It was set in 2020, but it includes people going on a cruise and attending a conference. He had to go back and reset it in 2019. That also strikes me. We were watching a movie the other day and the characters go to a public lecture and my first thought was, "Oh yeah, that's back when large groups of people gathered in one room." It already feels strange to see it in movies.
3. The ads on TV were all made before the pandemic and appear hopelessly out of date. Kids wrestling with grampa, people at big parties. When will that seem normal.
4. We're all turning into Howard Hughes. He was talking about how in the movie The Aviator, Howard Hughes' behavior seemed so odd when he saw it - in particular a scene where he is trying to leave the bathroom, but every time he touches something he has to go back and wash his hands again - and now it seems almost normal.
5. The one I liked the best. He said growing up (he is 71), when they complained, his mother would always say, "Yeah, well during the Depression...." He said that in 20 years when kids are complaining about being bored, their parents will be saying, "Look, when I was your age, we were locked in the house for months at a time." Of course, he's assuming that it's better, not worse, 20 years from now.
