This is a Pandemic, Not a Writing Retreat by Diane Bator

Yay! My new Sugarwood Mystery book came out June 1st! (Click on the cover to order Drop Dead Cowboy!)

On June 10, I was supposed to be taking my oldest son Nick, who is turning 25 this month, out to Alberta and B.C. to spend time with my brother Darryl, who is turning 50. Pretty memorable milestones but we won't be celebrating the way we wanted to be. This year, I will have to send them both love from a distance. Of course we planned to see other family and drive through the Rockies from Edson to Osoyoos, but that will have to wait.

There are so many things we haven't been able to do over the past several months. Of all the things I've really noticed is that my creative process took a holiday for the first seven weeks. Hearing those great words "this is a pandemic, not a writing retreat" helped. As much as we're isolated and some of us alone (except for a couple of cats who are starting to get on my nerves!) we're all dealing with the same situation.

What does my creative process look like right now?

Since I struggled to write for so many weeks, I turned to a previous addiction. Counted Cross Stitch. I've done many over the years until my kids got older and I focused my time on writing more than other pursuits. This one is called Sandcastle Dreams and it was kind of fun to take pictures every time I worked on it and share them on Instagram. No one else knew what the picture would look like, which made it even more fun.

  

Lucky for me, I have another one squirreled away and will start that one soon.

As for writing, I've been working from home since mid-March so my days begin with a few phone calls and emails as well as a daily Zoom chat. After that, I started off staring at the walls feeling numb. Once the wave of numbness passed, I began to listen to writing and other videos. It gave me a sense of camaraderie to hear how other authors and playwrights felt the same way. Slowly, I regained my sense of self.

I discovered I can attend virtual meetings that I could never attend in person due to scheduling. I am even attending a Left Coast Crime event this Saturday that I wouldn't have attended. Though I talked to other writers and listened to their stories, I just couldn't get back to writing my own.

Then I took a bath.

Suddenly, this character took over the second book in my Glitter Bay series and I couldn't stop her! She wasn't my original main character, Laken, but her sister Sage who has become my protagonist for All that Shines. Within two weeks, I'm on Chapter 7 and still going.

Since my routine has been altered, I've decided to make my time work for me without putting as much pressure on myself as I used do. I get up when the cats tell me it's time to get out of bed--usually by seven o'clock--then have coffee and breakfast while they go back to sleep. I do my work in the morning while my older cat, part Siamese, walks around me meowing because he wants my full attention, or to go outside, or a treat...  After lunch, if it's not nearly 40 degrees Celsius and my shoes won't melt on the sidewalk, I'll take a brisk walk before I sit down to write, listen to a lecture or two, read a book, or work on my website or the newsletter I'm struggling to set up.

Currently, I'm reading before bed every night to take my mind off the day's events. I have a huge stack of books from writers I've met and work with so reviews are due when I'm done each one. That's not a bad thing. In times like these, we all need to help each other and give each other what support we can.

How are you all faring?
Are you reading, writing, or have you found other creative outlets to keep your hands busy?
I'd love to hear about it.
Whatever you're doing, stay out of trouble and have fun!

Diane Bator
https://bookswelove.net/bator-diane/

http://penspaintsandpaper.com

http://dbator.blogspot.ca/