Probably a better title for this post would be, NOT writing during a pandemic because that seems to be more of what I’m doing. It’s been hard; the world is such an unfamiliar place right now.
I have a day job working at a University and if you think it’s hard being a writer right now, trust me, it is even harder being a student! All learning is “virtual” now which works for some, but definitely not for all.
Some students don’t have good internet, some don’t have reliable computers, and some don’t have a quiet place to work. Some don’t have a PLACE at all. Combined with family worries about jobs and health insurance and health in general and of all things, whether there’s enough toilet paper, makes this time difficult to focus.
I’m so fortunate to have a job, even if that job takes all my brain power right now. I have a book coming out in a couple of months. In July. In the middle of a pandemic. With bookstores closed and events cancelled. In some ways it seems a small thing to care about. I mean, yeah, I have a second book coming out when I have friends who are in the query trenches hoping to get an agent. They look at me and think, girl, please don’t complain. And I don’t/won’t. Because I do feel lucky, even now.
And I know just around the bend the writing is waiting for me. I’ve been a writer for too long. It’s the way I sit and fit in this world. So the words and worlds will come back. Maybe they’ll crash over me like a huge wave, or maybe it will be just quiet ripples. And that’s okay.
Wherever you are in this, (And I hope you are safe. I hope you are well and that the people you love are well also.) know that although none of us have lived through something like this before, we will. We’ll get through.
See you on the other side.
xo