This week has been influenced a lot by coronavirus chaos.  I started the world semi-normal at the beginning of the week (as normal as a writer can be) and want to remain that way.

In that time, the US declared a national emergency and it seemed like everyone started taking crazy pills.  So my effort to remain normal (aside from not taking crazy pills)  Includes:

• Minimizing my news consumption (once a day or not at all).
• Dong my normal business.

I’m fighting to stay disconnected from craziness as much as possible.  During September 11, I remember when the media realized they needed to stop showing pictures of the attack and did.  Now they have no governer, and sadly, may even be doing it very intentionally.

So all I can do is control my input…and refuse to buy into the craziness.

Morning

I spent the morning running errands.  Groceries first thing.  It was a ghost town, except for a few people.  One woman was stocking up like she expected a nuclear attack.  All I was after was groceries for this week.

Pasta shelves empty.  Water shelves empty.  Frozen food empty.  Fresh veggies—untouched.

I couldn’t get tissues there, which I needed because the pollen’s pretty bad.  Time for the backup plan!

Writing Nerd Ninja Trick: Can’t get tissues because everyone else overstocked?  Head for Staples.  The office supply stores sell tissues and no one’s thinking of it as a place to find them.

Then off to the farmer’s market.  I had to check online to make sure it hadn’t been canceled.  People were selling, and my favorite vendor was there.  He brought a good selection, but much smaller quantities.  It was obvious they didn’t expect a lot of business.

After that, I visited my favorite restaurant.  They need the business, and I’m happy to provide it.  No seating outside today.  Sunny and gorgeous and cold.  Did dog watching while I was there.  People like to walk their dogs in the area while they shop and eat.

Final outbound errand was to a department store to shop for clothes.  I wanted something I was going to have fun with, and also a place that I had to hop on the freeway.  If I’m not commuting at all next week, I need a freeway run on the weekend to keep up the battery in the car.

Afternoon

Back to working on character worksheets.  The story is now called “Hero Portal.” 

One of the things I’ve discovered is that there was one writing skill that I should have worked at.  I’m really good at characterization, so I passed on workshops for it.  At the time though, it was the right decision because there were other skills that needed more love.

Now…

I’m wondering if that has to do with why my stories always end up too short.  It’s weird, too, because last year, I focused on learning to write longer and got no traction.  Then, maybe that goal wasn’t specific enough because I hadn’t tackled this one area.  We’ll see…

I feel like I’m working a muscle that was out of shape and needs some strength training. 

What are you doing to cope with cornavirus chaos?