Hello, friends,
With parts of the country already under shelter-in-place orders and the same looming over the rest of us... well, shit's getting weird. And it'll get only weirder in the next couple of months.
I'm not going to pretend that reading and writing are among the biggest concerns right now. These are, for the most part, solitary activities already, and most people have far greater things to worry about: putting food on the table, medicine in the medicine cabinet; keeping the bills paid so the lights stay on. Rent. Your children's education.
But! For the coming weeks of what is shaping up to be some severe isolation, we thought we might put up a few discussion posts so that we all can stay in touch and do whatever little we can to help each other make it through this. Sort of a remote social closening, if you will. (Don't.)
So, if/when we ever have a few minutes to spare from the overwhelming task of staying healthy and staying safe, let's talk about books and let's talk about writing and let's talk about whatever the hell else we want to talk about. Let's just talk. Let's keep each other posted.
We've put up four discussion posts, three with targeted topics and one that can just be a place to share what's going on with you:
Share recommendations and talk about how reading is helping keep you balanced. If it is.
Tell us about your WIP; share passages if you're extra brave.
Discuss how this situation is affecting your writing routine and your mental/physical approach; share strategies for staying productive.
Just talk or vent about whatever's on your mind, and offer support, encouragement, and strategies with your fellow WriteByNighters. What are the struggles you're facing; how are you keeping yourself sane; how are you staying in touch with friends/family; what's making you smile and laugh when you need some comic relief (and share links!)? Etc.
Also, we've extended the deadline on last week's micro fiction contest, if you're looking for a writing challenge. In fifty words or fewer, write a story (or stories -- enter as many times as you'd like) that contains the phrase "They lived and laughed and loved and
left."
Good luck, everyone. And I don't mean with the contest.
