Hello, long time, no see, rather no write. I have been thinking. They say that if you think too hard, something ugly might come up. OK, I am the only one who said it, BUUTTT….
I just celebrated my birthday. Yeah, that one. July 21 is the date. I am not one to reveal my age because I do not feel it and I do not think it. Let’s just say that I am a Gen X, the forgotten generation. They talk about the Baby Boomers and they talk about the Millennials, and they talk about the older folks (my parent’s age group) but they never talk about mine. I guess that we are the people that others warn each other about. So, if you were born between 1964-1979, you know exactly what I am talking about, but this is not that conversation. Not here, and not on this blog. I can explain further as I go through “56 My Ambiance Life Things on that blog, or not. You never know until you read all 4 blogs. Did I say 4?
So, today and for the next couple of weeks or so, I will have 56 Home Prep things on that blog, 56 My Ambiance Life things on this blog, 56 P. Lynne Designs things on that blog and 56 Miss Froggy Loves Traveling things on that blog. Each series has no rhyme or reason except that it has to do with what each blog has in store for the reader. In My Ambiance Life’s case, it is about writing, blogging, and inspiration to name a few. So here’s a start.
Today’s topic: Writing during Covid
Today, I want to talk about being a writer during this time. You can call your profession anything you want to help you sleep at night. I call myself a writer. I am not comfortable at the moment of calling myself a blogger, and the reason is I am not basically at the moment putting down my feelings. I have 3 other blogs; one that covers home life (Home Prep), one that covers my business and crafting (P. Lynne Designs), and a new one that covers travel (Miss Froggy Loves Traveling). I have enough content that can cover this blog (My Ambiance Life) and the other two blogs, but, as soon as I announced that I was putting the travel section into another blog, Covid-19 hit with a vengeance. The only place I have been since that time is to my brother’s house in Dayton, which is an hour and a half from Columbus.
Currently, if I were to go to Walt Disney World, I would have to self-quarantine for 14 days before going into the parks, since I am from the state of Ohio, which is now one of the high risks states in the country. Yeah, idiots who refuse to wear a mask around here. I hope you are happy about your right to not wear a mask. Thanks to you, I cannot move freely throughout the country with one on. You have impeded on mine.
Back to the subject….
As you can see, I am kind of sore about that, and thanks okay. As a writer (blogger or not), you can write about your experiences with Covid. There is plenty to write about, and you can put as much or as little details as you want. After all, it is your article/post/novel. You can have it fictionalized into something like the “Virus that Ate Manhattan”, or something that Robin Cook could only visualize in his mind. Humm, I wonder if his book, Pandemic (2018) was about Covid in the future. The virus in the book describes a “flu-like” virus invading parts of the world. This is hitting to close to home.
How about writing about your personal experience with the virus, being “Stuck in the house and in the house bored” as the famous Tik Tok video suggests? I was thinking about trying some of the cute recipes that are on Tik Tok. I already failed that breakfast sandwich trick. I do plan on writing about it in my Home Prep blog and have a video on my YouTube channel. Let me give you some other examples.
Examples for Motivational and inspirational type blog posts
First off, if you write motivational and/or inspirational type blog posts or want to start one during this pandemic (or any type of blog post for that matter), do not start on the negative side of it. February and March 2020 was a shocker in the first place. I cannot remember in my lifetime where I am ordered by the local or federal government to stay inside. I also cannot remember a time where there is uncertainty throughout the country. In fact, by the time I was born, the civil rights movement was almost over and by the time I started school, I was able to be in a classroom with children of different races. I never experienced a time when I was told that I could not do something during my childhood unless my parents did not want me to do it. They tried to give me every opportunity to make a living, and have a better life. So, start with your own life. Recall life before the pandemic.
- Who are you and what is your background?
- Where do you live? For this, do not give out your exact location. Notice at the beginning of this blog post, where I mentioned where my brother lives. I said only the city and state. Giving out your exact location can be bad for privacy.
- What have you been doing during this time? While you are in your home or if you are working during this time, how has it been? Have you been displaced in your job? An example of this would be “that as a gig worker and entrepreneur, it has not been easy for me, but I have been trying to stay positive by improving on my skills and creating work for myself to do.” This is how I came up with the 56 blog posts idea for all of my blogs.” You may have something similar or mention that you have been working remotely. I am only mentioning things that are allowed in the United States, it may be different in your country.
Examples for “Home living” type blog posts
This is easier than the motivational and inspirational blogs. The reason is it brings together something that most people during this time, working in the home. I am not talking about your job, but renovating and doing little remodeling jobs around the home.
- Have you an increase in your shopping habits? Talk about what you have bought during this time. Haul videos and haul blog posts have become very popular during this time. I have made a couple myself.
- Have you discovered a new way of cooking? Food delivery has increased since we are still limited from going into a restaurant and having a sit-down meal.
In my first “56 Home Prep things” blog post over on my Home Prep blog, I mentioned that Uber Eats has sort of becoming my BFF, and now I need to rediscovery my cookware and other things because it is eating into my budget. Yes, you can get carried away with the idea of someone bringing your food to you, and they can sit it in front of your door with you making contact. A word of advice, have the grocery store bring you some goodies. I gained 20 pounds in delivery prepared food and my Ipad has become my new timer, LOL.
- How have you organized and decluttered? Talk about the space that you are trying to organize and what you want out of the space. Come up with a plan and make it a journey.
My craftroom, kitchen, and home office are three spaces that needed attention. I am almost done with the kitchen and home office. My main attention is now on the craftroom. For the craftroom, I mapped out my plan, the furniture pieces, which began before the pandemic, and now I need to order, build (most of it is from Ikea), and plop stuff in place.
- For parent eyes ONLY… how have your kids faired during the pandemic? Does your school system have at least a partial plan for August and September? What have you done to keep them occupied? Are you considering permanent homeschooling your kids? Pet Parents… how has your furbaby felt about you staying at home? I have a niece furbaby, and I know she is wondering why everywhere she turns, I am right there. In fact, she has hidden from me on several occasions during this time and tried to escape, LOL. Most times, she has enjoyed my company, and I have enjoyed hers.
Tips on making writing work for other types of writing besides writing in a blog…
You do not have to write to keep others happy in this form. If you are a novelist, this is a great time to start that novel. Of course, if you have already written your first novel, you already know this. This advice is for those who have always wanted to write one.
So, what do you write about besides the pandemic around us? You do not have to write about the pandemic as I previously mentioned. You can go to another space in your head that speaks to your desires. For this, there are some wonderful articles on how to start a novel. I am not a novelist. Sometimes I wish I were that person, or I can advise you better.
Do you like poetry? Prose? A good non-fiction how-to book? All of these would make a good book if you put your mind to it.
Well, it’s the end…
But not for long. I have lots to say and not enough time to say it. Some posts will be short and some long-winded, but never boring. If you like this, stay tuned, there more posts to come. If you have any comments, questions, and suggestions during this “challenge” (yes, I officially calling it that), please put it in the comments section of this blog or any of my blogs. You may also address it to my email address, plogan721@att.net.
Until then, see you next time.
