How are you doing? Are you hanging in there? This is one crazy (scary/frustrating/sad) time to be alive, huh?
There have definitely been some adjustments here - two parents are working from home now, we have a stir-crazy toddler, and another baby is due just next month.
Of course I am thinking about you and your book projects. Have you made any progress? Or have you been focused on other things?
The editor in me wants to say, "WHY ARE YOU READING THIS EMAIL? USE THIS EXTRA TIME AT HOME TO WRITE, WRITE, WRITE!" Turn off Netflix and get busy churning out those pages!
But the coach in me is saying this: Be kind to yourself. Even if you are healthy, and have all the food/toilet paper/hand sanitizer that you need, this is not the time to beat yourself up.
It is important to take time to be creative, and feed that part of your brain, even if you are homeschooling/just trying to stay sane.
It is important to not let your dreams fall by the wayside, even when the world feels like it is spinning out of orbit and taking those dreams with it.
It is important to surround yourself with the healing power of language - books, magazines, newspaper articles - beyond the endless stream of doomsday Facebook posts.
It is important, when you are now forced to be parent/spouse/homeschool teacher/maid 24 hours a day, to never forget that you are a WRITER, and that telling your story is necessary and means something to the world.
If you can, take advantage of this time to work on achieving your writing and publishing goals. Set aside some time (however limited) to write, to brainstorm, to edit. Network with your fellow authors and share your troubles and triumphs. Reach out to your writing group or coach when you face a roadblock.
But if you can't, if it all seems like too much, and that it's hard enough to make it through the day, that's okay, too. Give yourself the space you need to feel peace and center yourself. Writing is a healing process, but you need to be ready for it. It's not procrastinating if you are taking the time to take care of yourself. Let yourself be inspired by books, by nature (practice social distancing), by the kindness that is being shown around the world. Absorb all that so that you can infuse your writing with it.
If I can be of any help to you, please let me know. Struggling with a writing issue? Just leave a question of comment below.
I look forward to reading your masterpieces when they're ready. To you and your book(s)!
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