Writing In The Time Of Corona

 

Yes, the title is inspired by the title of one of my favorite books – Love in the Time of Cholera.

I don’t think the current situation with Coronavirus or COVID-19 needs any explanation or introduction. Its nasty reputation precedes it!

Now for the serious part…

For the last eight days, I have found myself trapped on treadmills of worry due to Corona’s widespread and assorted effects.  Numbers and deaths are rising, but our data is unreliable and we don’t really know what is right at this point, if we have already hit the peak or not. Most of our freedoms have been curbed for the foreseeable future, and I have realized I am more of an extrovert than I believed. The pain of separation from friends is not to be taken lightly.  People are frightened, and the media is whipping us all further into a mass frenzy of terror with their constant coverage. Ignorant remarks online likening Corona to the Black Death are not helping.

One of my fears came true today – a lay-off, hopefully only temporary, but unsettling nevertheless. I haven’t been unemployed in the past twelve years and though I have no intentions of working in the travel industry for the rest of my non-retired life, I would rather work there than have no job at all.

Work on my manuscript ground to a halt about ten days ago. This massive interruption may put a dent in my plans to publish this year. Though I knew I did not have the means to hire an editor, I did intend to have my novel typeset, have the covers designed by a professional, and set up a website. Depending on how long this lay-off lasts, publication may not take shape at all this year.

So where do I go from here? I don’t remember the last time I felt this adrift. I have a great deal of fear now, and I sense the great fear in the collective consciousness too. I fear for my family and friends who are older or somehow immuno-compromised. I don’t want to see mass amounts of people die. But I also fear the aftermath of this nightmare. When the smoke clears and COVID-19 has been contained, where will our society be and how will it recover? Will these lockdowns ultimately do more harm than good? How many will continue to suffer from poverty and mental anguish? How many businesses closed forever, how many dreams shattered? Are we heading into a second Great Depression, a sustained period of social and political unrest? How many divorces, suicides, spirals and relapses into alcoholism and drug abuse will we see in the months to come as a result of isolation, unemployment, and desperation?

But, whatever is going on, creativity never ceases. The muses do not really sleep. They’re always awake, kindling fires deep in the subconscious, whispering in our ears. My creativity has been strangled this last week by so much worry. Perhaps now that one of my biggest fears is manifested and “purged” if you will, I can focus again.

I must focus. There’s really no choice, I suppose.

I have always had a strong spirituality, and I will turn to this in the trying weeks to come. My writing has also always been a safe haven for me in times of sadness, and it will be so very much now. My critique group will continue online for however long it must, which should give me some inspiration  to continue. Friends have checked in on me through text or phone calls and I live with family, so my lot could be much worse. Facebook video chat is pretty cool, and so are the streams of operas and plays, and virtual museum tours.

I suppose I should use this “down time” to put my nose to the grind stone and edit like a hurricane. I certainly can’t say I’m just too busy this week or burnt-out from work. I just need to pull my attention from the insanity going on outside my door and look inward, to the mysterious place of dreams and inspiration.

Times of adversity don’t last forever…but the writerly spirit does. I will continue to remind myself that this is but a temporary limbo, that every day of worry is one we will never have to repeat, one day closer to a cure or a drop off in cases and deaths, one day closer to the end of lockup –er, lockdown.

One last insight. Like many Americans, I am accustomed to a rather cushy life. Aside from the usual nonsense and glitches of daily existence, my experiences of discomfort have been mostly fleeting and highly personal. I have never lived through a global crisis of this sort and magnitude. My book is set during a tumultuous time that took place over a span of several years. Hopefully, an economic crash does not unravel the very social order of the United States and tip us into something even more frightening and destructive — like a revolution. I now find myself with a whole new admiration for other humans who lived through times of darkness and uncertainty.  The day to day stress of such things is extraordinary and coping with it and moving forward takes strength. Humanity’s survival through so many ghastly happenings is a testament to the amazing durability of the human spirit.

One thing’s for sure…I will never again take dining out or sitting with a journal and some coffee at Panera for granted ever again.

 

Be well, and write on. ❤

Three Things I Learned From Writing Historical Romance

*** Originally written for The Odyssey Online in 2017. **

As you may recall from my previous posts, I am in the process of rewriting my novel, a love story set in the 18th century. I have always been a history buff and deep down, I think I always wanted to write a historical work, sans vampires or any other paranormal elements. However, I always thought it too difficult a project to tackle and far beyond my capability. At last, the itch grew too strong and I began work on one in earnest. Dedicating countless hours to research and incorporating that research into my writing has certainly been no cake walk, but it has proven to be a fascinating romp through yesteryear. During my journey, I have learned a few things.

1. History is not necessarily what we believe it to be.

I have discovered that many people have what I refer to as “pop culture” ideas of historical figures, events, and entire eras. I certainly did. Misinformation prevails and we often have partially developed ideas about the past and its people or downright incorrect ones.

History is frequently not as cut and dried as we believe either, especially when it comes to conflicts. Sometimes one side was downright wrong and were truly “the bad guys.” Sometimes both sides were downright wrong and downright horrible to each other and sometimes both sides had valid points and reasons for their behavior. There are many angles to be considered. Rather than being black and white, a lot of our planet’s past is a shade of gray, sometimes closer to black, sometimes closer to white.

2. Historians are NOT impartial.

As a bumbling novice, I assumed that historians, like judges are supposed to be, were impartial. They researched and reported on facts and that was all. But apparently, that is not what historians do–at least from what I have seen. These dedicated people do tons of research and then build a case around that research. Each historian has a different interpretation of the very same events or people.

As a storyteller, you will need to read widely to get a good grasp of the history you are working with. But, you will need to more or less take a side and even cherry pick facts to a certain extent. Align with the interpretation that fits your story best and run with it to build your own “case” and garner empathy and sympathy for your characters.

3. You will develop a galloping fear of being wrong.

We have all heard the hair-raising accounts of them. The dreaded nit-picky reader who will leave a one-star review or fire off an angry e-mail over a minor inaccuracy in a story. It doesn’t sound like much but one bad review or snarky message can shoo other readers away from your book or cripple your confidence in your writing ability.

You imagine this happening to you (after publication, of course) and it begins to hang over your head. Soon, you develop a phobia of screwing up your facts or even overlooking something entirely and making a complete idiot of yourself.

This is a tough one. We’re only human and humans are imperfect. To ease your mind, think of it this way. As writers, our first and foremost duty is to craft stories that keep readers up long past their bedtime, turning pages desperate to know what happens next.

Yes, we are often accidental philosophers, analyzing and shedding light on the human experience, but at our core, we are entertainers. As hard as we might try with our research, we cannot and should not bill ourselves as experts or historians–unless that is literally your day job. I personally feel that we should strive for excellence in all that we do and make a solid attempt at portraying the world we are building correctly. But, at the end of the day, my work is still one of fiction, a world in which things have to make sense. My portrayal may be largely accurate, but should not to be taken as a scholarly dissertation.

My journey is nowhere near its end yet. I still have books sitting around which I have not finished or even cracked, and the learning continues–both historical and writing-wise. After two and a half years of research and writing and rewriting, I admit I still feel like an amateur. People may wonder why anyone would undertake such a difficult project when there is no guarantee of literary or financial success. For me, it’s a labor of love, born from a drive to write mingled with a fascination with humanity’s past. Hopefully, I will get to share it with the rest of the world.

Write on!

 

Cover Image Credit: Pixabay

 

 

Why I Have Decided To Self-Publish

Before I proceed, I have not written this post to disparage those who work in the traditional publishing fields such as editors and literary agents. I am sure these people work hard at their jobs and are passionate about the written word. But I have chosen a different path.

After a great deal of thought, I decided to self-publish the novel I am currently at work on. This avenue had been suggested to me before by other people in my midst, but I fought the idea tooth and nail, justifying it with my erroneous belief that truly talented (or “real”) writers don’t need to self-publish. I thought no publisher would overlook something that is truly good and readers would sniff contemptuously at anything they discovered to be self-published. I have thankfully broken free of those beliefs. Why? Because they are false.

Many fine books have been rejected numerous times by the big houses only to become best sellers. It was only due to perseverance on the authors’ parts that we have those books to enjoy. They persisted but I wonder how many other skilled writers gave up after one too many discouraging e-mails, the gems they might have penned relegated to a desk drawer forever? I also happen to know other very talented wordsmiths who have received rejection notices even after rewriting and having their manuscripts professionally edited. Contrary to popular belief, books do not always get rejected because they are bad. Sometimes, the publisher has already published a similar work and cannot take on another, or it simply didn’t tickle someone’s fancy enough.

 

So far I have poured three and a half years into my novel. I would hate to see a project I have given my heart and soul to languishing in a slush pile forever. The writing world these days is highly competitive and the odds are pretty heavily stacked against new authors. They are just too risky to take a financial gamble on in a world where producing and marketing books is so expensive.

 

Another variable that makes self-publishing an attractive option is not needing an agent. As great as I am sure agents are, they are difficult to acquire and, well, also have to be paid fairly for their work which dips into my author income.

 

My third and honestly, biggest reason for self-publishing is (almost) full creative control. I am free to chose the cover design, book length, publishing house name, and make the final call on what ultimately gets cut and what stays in the story. I can also set my price and earn higher royalties. These are all particulars I understand traditionally published authors have little control over.

 

Am I worried that readers may not buy my book if they know it is self-published? Not a great deal. Some readers do balk at self-published books over concerns that they are low quality. Admittedly, there are self-published books that are low quality, but that isn’t simply because they are self-published or the authors lack talent. From what I have seen as a reader, writers get so excited over sharing their book with the world that they forget to revise and take their time crafting a quality work. I share that excitement, I truly do; but years of working in sales has taught me that in order to make a good name for yourself and build a loyal customer base, you must offer a product that people love, that people are willing to spend their hard-earned money on, a product good enough that they will come back for more. These sorts of products take time and I intend to polish my work to the best of my ability.  

                                                                                    

Will people be able to tell my book is self-published? My guess is no (unless they read this blog. 🙂 ). With proper time and effort, self-published books can look and be as good as traditionally published books and I intend to put in the time and effort. I am sure self-publishing will be a big challenge, but I plan to give it my best. (I might be a Libra, but I have strong Virgo influences in my chart and Virgo is nothing if not exacting. 🙂 ) The internet has opened up a whole new field to writers and the publishing landscape is indeed changing. Follow my blog for updates on my progress!

 

What are your thoughts on self-publishing? I would love to hear them!