Last week I was sitting outside on a lovely April morning and listening to the buzzer sound at the nearby school. It goes on marking the end of classes while teachers and children continue to stay at home to keep their friends and family safe. Teachers are now online valiantly conquering new technology, inventing and creating new ways to communicate to home learners and surviving it all while coping with caring for their own loved ones at the same time.
The world has changed. My husband works from home, my son teaches piano lessons online, and I bake bread and sanitize my groceries that I pick up after pre-ordering from the store—and no, I don’t have hoards of flour or toilet paper in my cupboards. And I work—last week writing about flue gas venting systems and this week working on a webinar that I’m presenting on April 25th with fellow author, Lori Wolf-Heffner. (What You Need to Know About Self-Publishing)
The world is a scary place, so I stay home. I’m in the high-risk group (cancer will do that to you), so even when going for a walk, I keep my distance—which in Canadian terms is about the length of an adult hockey stick. 🙂 I’m focusing on doing my part to stay healthy and to keep my husband, my son, and my 92-year-old mom (who lives with us) safe and healthy, too.
And you know what? That’s enough. On sunny days, like today, I’m outside, if it’s warm enough (we had snow yesterday), I leave the phone and social media indoors and read or knit or listen to music. That’s enough. Having more time–the writer’s dream–is not a reason for you to feel obliged to be massively creative or feel guilty if you’re not. You’re under stress from every news report, statistic, Facebook update, and adaptation you make to living in isolation. You are going to find that your focus and energy are challenged. So, if you opt to knit, read, or drink tea instead during your ‘creative time’—yay for you. You’re adapting to this scary, changed world as best you can while applying liberal doses of self-care. There’s no ONE WAY to get through this. Choose what works for you, and if your need a prompt to get your writing again, I hope that one of the following provides the inspiration you need.
Use one, some, or all of the words in one of these groups to write a story or poem.
- Box, mouse, ribbon, cold, yellow, stain
- Ink, glasses, spill, ruin, plan, blue, deliberate
- Path, forest, sun, chill, noises, danger, green
- Journal, find, secret, death, mystery, family
- Birds, circling, sign, hesitate, lost, run, black
Use one of these sentences to begin a story.
- What do you mean I can’t see him right now?
- Sorry. You missed your chance.
- I can’t believe that Henry lied–again.
- The dilapidated diner was the only place open at 1 a.m.
- Helen said that was a secret.
- I don’t remember the incident the way Henry says it happened.
- This is the last time I trust this rust bucket to get me anywhere.
- I’m worried. When was the last time you heard from him.
Maybe one of these titles will spark a story: A Ten-Year-Old Tells Knows It All, Second Choice. The Balloon, Fire in the Air, Mystery at the Zoo, Road to Fear, Finding Love at Walmart, Should’ve Said No, Two Wishes, The Cabin, Don’t Go There, The Legend, Dragons and Me.
Here are some dialogue excerpt to help inspire a scene or a story.
I’ve never heard anything so ridiculous.
But it’s true!
That’s even worse!
I got at weird text from Henry.
Me, too.
What do you think we should do?
Give him what he needs.
Are you sure?
I’m very sorry, sir.
IT’s a bit late for sorry. He may be gone for good.
I’ll find him. I promise.
And when did you become a dragon tracker?
Right now, sir.
I hate an east wind.
Me, too. Always means a story.
Always means trouble.
Write how your character would feel and what they would do, if they had to be isolated from others.
If you’re stuck in your story, have another look at your character. Maybe you need to know more to move ahead. Check these two links to help you grow your character and your story.
This link leads to a great worksheets from NaNoWriMo
Here’s a character template that I developed.