Guys, I can’t thank you enough for your response to my Coronavirus Amigurumi. You’ve blown me away. It’s been absolutely wonderful to connect with so many of you. From all over the world, no matter your situation, you came together with this very silly design, and I am grateful for the interactions we’ve had because of it. Everyone is experiencing the same anxiety, and while I wish that weren’t the case, I appreciate how it’s uniting everybody.
We are in the midst of a global pandemic. I can’t believe I’m writing that outside of a fictional story. Is 2020 off to a rocky start or what?
Things are crazy out there. My college has moved spring term classes entirely online, and my tutoring job will be online, too. I’m very fortunate that I can work remotely and that I make money from freelance writing and crochet design. I’m also used to online classes because I was homeschooled, but a bunch of my classmates are freaking out. It’s going to be different, that’s for sure…and weird. And I find myself wondering, what do we do from here?
How do we cope with this quarantine that feels like it’s straight out of a post-apocalyptic movie?
How do we stay connected over the next few months while we stay in our houses, to protect the most vulnerable populations?
How do we stay alert to the dangers of COVID-19 without giving in to anxiety?
How do we fill the hours that we once spent commuting, shopping, going out with friends?
For me, the answer is books. It always has been. As a kid, whenever the outside world was too much to take, I retreated into fiction…and that’s what I’ve been doing lately. I started a shelf on Goodreads called “Read During Coronavirus Quarantine,” and so far it has 8 books on it. But just reading hasn’t been enough. I have so many anxious thoughts that when they stay cooped up in my head I start going crazy.
So I’ve been writing again. It doesn’t even really matter what – the act of writing is enough to give me a grip on things. I’ve written more in the past week than I have in the past several months. Writing has never been an easy process for me…it takes a lot of effort to get the words out, and sometimes it’s painful if the topic hits close to home. But I always feel better when the words are on the page, because then I can deal with them. That’s how I’ve been coping lately.
I was thinking, we all need a distraction. And I need to write. So what if I blogged a book here again? Remember The Yarn Wars and Unraveled? That was a great experience for me, and I had some lovely feedback from people who enjoyed it. I also have been thinking for the past couple years about self-publishing an urban fantasy book, so maybe this is the opportunity for it. Please let me know your thoughts. I don’t want to profit off this crisis. I want to give back to the community that’s helped me so much, and writing is the only way I know how to do that.
Stay safe, everyone. Thanks for all the kindness you’ve shown me and one another. I love you guys.
That sounds like a great idea Claire! Even if it remains unpublished, I’m sure many people would definitely appreciate the break from Reality. 🙂
Wow – I made two amigurumis and gave them both to Danish nurses, caring for COVID-19 patients.
One of the nurses’ daughter posted a picture on Instagram, which was picked up by a Danish “influencer” (whatever that’s supposed to mean) with over 950,000 followers!! I’m crediting you – just so you know 🙂