coping

We’re starting our 8th week of isolation, social distancing, whatever you want to call it, and there are moments when the day-to-day coping is a real challenge. Generally I muddle along just fine, but at other times I’m anxious about all the sanitizing and the people going for walks behind our house that don’t keep their distance. I’m, worrying about the COVID-19 statistics that, for me, aren’t improving fast enough, feeling for those I know with new grandchildren they can’t hug or with family that they can’t visit in hospital or mourn with the comforting hugs of friends and family. It doesn’t take a lot for my thoughts to head into a downward spiral.

I don’t think I’ve ever been more conscious than now of the need to give myself grace. I stop myself and ask, “What do you really need right now.?” And if the answer is “leave the to-do list and take thirty minutes with a book and a cup of tea,” well that’s what I do. I totally get “carrying on” and “pushing through.” I’ve been doing that on and off for years, as do most people during their life’s challenges. But this is different, and I’m far more deliberate about pulling back and adding much-needed self care to all the carrying and pushing. I hope that you’re finding positive, comforting ways to take breaks from it all, too and refilling the well with energy, gratitude and hope. I’m certainly grateful. So far, friends and family are healthy, and I count the blessings of having a home and a safe place to be.

Creatively, I’m been a non-starter for a few months now. I write well enough for work, but have been searching for a new creative project to take me through the summer. I have a big editing contract that will last until September–a 500-page college composition text book. Now I love this kind of work, but I also need something to distract my brain from the hyper-critical mode it’s going to be in for the next four months. And frankly, it’s creative, joy writing that makes me feel like a writer.

Last week a local author hosted an online writing retreat. Seven or eight of us gathered on Zoom at 10 a.m. to say hello and talk about how we were coping. We had two 90-minute writing sessions away from the screen (one in the morning, the other in the afternoon), lunch together on screen with some more chat, and an on-screen wrap-up at the end where some writers shared their work. It was a great day. For the week leading up to it, I kept telling myself that I was going to come out of the day with a story idea. Nothing big, just an idea. That’s as high as I was prepared to set the bar.

Come the day, my mind was still a compete blank, but in the first 90-minute writing session, I got that story idea and started outlining. I was overjoyed. Who knew that all that I-think-I-can would work? I was so relieved to find out that my creative, joy-writing brain still functioned. I admit, I’d nearly given up. If you’re feeling the same, I hope my story gives you some hope that the writing will come.

I hope that the writing prompts below will also help you find the inspiration you need for your joywriting or provide some short exercises to help you start refilling the creative well.

Use one, some, or all of the words in one of the groups below to write a story or poem:

• talk, restaurant, secret, surprise, fear, red
• storm, cold, sudden, wind, hide, shelter, black
• shadow, movement, street light, footsteps, bus, yellow
• candle, desk, pen, blood, silence, silver, drop
• clock, broken, call, late, run, important, brown

See if one of these opening sentences suggests a story or scene:

• I think it’s time you told the truth.
• When will she be back?
• Opening night was not a success.
• A cloudless night meant danger.
• In our case, good fences did not make good neighbours.
• My plans for a lazy morning disappeared when the fire alarm rang in my building.
• I have never been so glad to see a sunrise.
• The car screeched around the corner and aimed straight for Henry.
• I couldn’t believe it when he turned up at the house after 3 years of nothing.

Maybe one of these dialogue excerpts will inspire a story or scene:

• What’s with Helen?
• Haven’t a clue.
• Is it just me, or is she acting stranger than usual?

• Where’ you get that?
• Found it.
• That’s the story you’re sticking with?

• Where’s that music coming from?
• Sound like on the other side of that wall.
• That apartment is supposed to be empty.

• Helen’s mad at me.
• Why?
• Who knows?
• You do. Now tell me.

• Did the light’s just flicker?
• Yup.
• Aren’t our doing to do something?
• Yeah. Light a candle. Next time they’ll go out for good.

I wish you a healthy, safe, and writerly May!

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