Coronavirus: Lena Dunham uses self-isolation to write serialised romance novel

"Girls" creator Lena Dunham is using her time in self-isolation to pen a serialized romance novel for her fans who will get to have a say in how the story moves forward. The first chapter of the novel, "Verified Strangers" is already out on fashion magazine Vogue's official website. Dunham promised that readers will get a chapter from Monday to Friday.

"I'm writing a serialized romance novel with @voguemagazine because, when I found out this #coronavirus was going to keep us in our homes, I wondered how we could create community and storytelling has always been a way for me to feel closer to others when I'm feeling alone," the 33-year-old writer-actor posted on Twitter. Dunham said readers had a choice in taking the story forward or deciding who her protagonist Ally should end up with.

Dunham said she has "always been fascinated by serialized publishing whether it was hundreds of battered babysitters club novels or learning about how #CharlesDickens released his greatest novels as serialized chapters in penny newspapers." Calling a romance novel "the pulpiest and most distracting fun" one can have, Dunham said it was a medium she always wanted to work in. The first chapter of the novel is already up on Vogue.com and centers around Ally, a 32-year-old and her bad date. Her roommate suggests she limit her search to "verified strangers," i.e. "a friend of a friend" and "someone new (to you) but who comes with a resounding recommendation."