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Monthly Status Report
It’s been an interesting month on the writing front. More on that with the optional question, but the main thing is that I had a good conversation with someone about newsletters, and we decided that my primary focus right now needs to be getting my reader magnet ready. She had several resources, but probably due to the virus, never got around to sharing them, so I am doing everything myself.
In particular, that means covers. Lots and lots of covers. I am taking Holly Lisle’s Title. Cover. Copy class (which I bought ages ago either at a discount or when I had extra funds — not sure which at the moment), and it involves coming up with 6 titles (voted on by others) and then creating four covers for each title. That’s a LOT of covers: 24 for those of you not counting at home. For a short story. But it is good practice, and I enjoy it. I have pretty much finished the first eight.
The story is a prequel to the Hazel Kanetzki series of witch cozy mysteries, which features her first encounter with her ability to go into trance when in the presence of the dead bodies she prepares. It also explores her relationship with her late husband.
I have no ETA on when I will have it available, but keep watching this space for when it does.
Optional Monthly Question
Every month, there is an optional question you can answer. I like them because they usually allow me to share more about myself as a writer and as a person in a way I might not have thought of myself. So, here is this month’s question:
April 1 question – The IWSG’s focus is on our writers. Each month, from all over the globe, we are a united group sharing our insecurities, our troubles, and our pain. So, in this time when our world is in crisis with the covid-19 pandemic, our optional question this month is: how are things in your world?
Surprisingly well. The answer may change the further into Virus-land we go, but for now, I find myself in an exceptionally lucky position.
Physical Health: My own health seems to be fine. I am cautious and staying at home.
Mental Health: Mentally, I am only spending a short time on the news and deliberately seeking out more informative/less sensationalized outlets. I feel I have a handle on the things I need to know (state orders, medical advice, etc.) without going down the rabbit hole of everything that could go wrong or that is going wrong in other places. By other places, I mean not my home and not my parents’ home. It’s possible a lot is going wrong even in my city. The fact is, we aren’t testing anyone hardly, so no one really knows how many have it.
Also, I am an introvert, so for now, my reaction to “must stay at home” is more like “get to stay at home” and “don’t have to go anywhere”. That may change, but right now, I’m not going to try to make myself more miserable just because I might be frustrated later. I’ll be frustrated then anyway.
Financial Health: Good. Better than planned actually. My job is one of the few that is not suffering in this crisis. I do telephone interviews from home for people who are applying for life insurance (or disability, etc. but not health). I was already working from home, so did not need to change anything about how I do my job. Not only that, but instead of having cut hours we have been having overtime the last few weeks and the calls have been going crazy. This may die down as more and more agents are unable to get out, but hopefully, more of them will switch to Tele-sales anyway. As it is, it is really worrying to hear about agents going into the homes of 70-some year old people to sell them life insurance.
I have pretty much everything I need. I happened to get extra toilet paper before the shortage (but extra is starting to be less than extra now), and have been making sure to have enough food and other supplies if I need to actually be stuck at home for 14 days.
Social Health: Probably not that great, but it wasn’t that great to begin with. See above about being an introvert. The main disappointment was the cancellation of the writer’s retreat I was looking forward to and the meetings with my writing friend every Sunday. I’m not good at (read: don’t enjoy) social media much, so my main “socialization” has been my calls to my parents.
My main concern through all of this is my parents’ and other people’s health. I am not really worried about experiencing the virus myself. I am more concerned about the possibility of NOT having symptoms and inadvertently passing the virus on to someone else who suffers more. That thought really bothers me and is enough to keep me at home most of the time and to be extremely cautious when I go out.
So on that note: I wish you all the best. And – does anyone know where I can get some toilet paper?
INSECURE WRITER’S SUPPORT GROUP
FOUNDED BY
Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh
Twitter is @TheIWSG Hashtag: #IWSG
And here are the awesome co-hosts for the April 1 posting of the IWSG!
Diane Burton
JH Moncrieff
Anna @ Emaginette
Karen @ Reprobate Typewriter
Erika Beebe
Lisa Buie-Collard
It’s sounds like you are doing well amidst the currently evolving times, minus the toilet paper of course 😉 I hope you do stay healthy and someone finds you some TP very soon 🙂
Thank you! I hope we all stay healthy and that this resolves as soon as possible with as few deaths as possible. Crossing my fingers for everyone.
Sounds like you’re very busy and doing well. Thanks for sharing this month! 🙂
Thank you!