Unlock the Muse – April 28, 2020

How are you adapting to life in the midst a pandemic? Around here, homeschooling is getting just a little be easier. We’re settling into a routine. I think.

Now, the talk is all about reopening businesses. Returning life to something resembling normalcy. Is it possible? Personally, I don’t think things will ever again be the way they were. Instead, we’ll need to adapt to a new normal.

My hope is that as this new normal settles in around me, I’ll find my way back to a better writing routine. I have a novel to write.

Inspire
Here’s your writing prompt for this week:

Take this first day of May to write about what May means to you. Has anything significant in your life happened in this month?

The month of May begins later this week. What is May all about for you? There’s Mother’s Day, May Day, the whole “April showers bring May flowers” bit.

Encourage
For this last week of April, in the midst of a pandemic, it seemed a good time for a roll of the Batman Story Cubes. We could use a superhero about now. Use one or use all, and have fun!

Happy writing.

Dewey’s 24-Hour Read-a-Thon – April 2020

I haven’t been posting much lately about my reading progress. To be honest, my reading time has taken a hit since the stay-at-home order went into effect. Since the schools were closed, my children are distance learning and I am home from work to help them.

After three weeks of homeschooling, two of those official distance learning with the school, I’m ready for a break. It’s perfect timing then, for Dewey’s 24-Hour Read-a-Thon this weekend!

I have a pile of books I haven’t been able to get to since playing Teacher Mom. I’ll be working of this list:

The Clinic, by Jonathan Kellerman (currently reading)
Rage, by Jonathan Kellerman
Empire of Grass, Tad Williams (currently reading)
Obsidio, by Amie Kauffman and Jay Kristoff
Wonder Woman: Warbringer, by Leigh Bardugo (reading with eldest)
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, by Kwame Mbalia (reading with middle)
The Bear and the Nightingale, by Katherine Arden (ebook)
Watership Down, by Richard Adams (audio)

Clearly, I will not be able to read all of these books. I do hope to finish at least one, and make progress on several.

On a side note, my eldest son might be joining me for the Read-a-Thon. At least to some degree. His line up includes:

Dogman: Lord of the Fleas, by Dav Pilkey
Minecraft: The Lost Journals, by Mur Lafferty

This weekend, I’m doing as little as possible, other than read, read read! In my time zone, the read-a-thon starts at 5 a.m. I’ll be starting in the dark and early. Assuming I can open my eyes that early.

Happy reading!

Unlock the Muse – April 21, 2020

Most of us are fairly adaptable creatures. We are capable of accepting all sorts of change – new job, new school, new baby, new way of life. Even in times of greatest crisis such as a global pandemic. Personally, I am into my fourth week of homeschooling my children. My leave from work is up next week, but the kiddos don’t go back to school.

With the world still reeling from illness, death, lock-downs and unemployment. Things will not be settled for some time yet to come. Life is hard right now. And it isn’t going to be easy any time soon. I am doing my best to be resilient, to hope for something better yet to come.

Inspire
Here’s your writing prompt for this week:

“Keep your eye on the prize” is a popular saying. What is the “prize” for you at this particular moment in your life?

Remember that goal you set at the beginning of the year? Take a moment to remember the reason you set that goal. Keep your eye on the prize. Go for it!

Encourage
a·dapt
verb

1. Make (something) suitable for a new use or purpose; modify.
2. Become adjusted to new conditions.
3. Alter (a text) to make it suitable for filming, broadcasting, or the stage.

The word adapt, meaning “to fit (something, for some purpose),” comes from the early 15c. from the Old French adapter, which in turn comes from the Latin, adaptare, “adjust, to fit.” The intransitive meaning “to undergo modification so as to fit new circumstances” is from 1956. (from etymonline.com)

Happy writing.

Unlock the Muse – April 14, 2020

The schools where I live are officially closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 academic year. The school district mandated distance learning beginning this week. I have been home from work for the past two weeks trying to step into the gap left by the statewide school closure. My children, their teachers and myself have been working to adapt to this new way of life.

Between learning new technologies and keeping three boys separately occupied, this process has been a bit of an emotional roller coaster. Even so, I am hopeful that we can arrive at a new equilibrium. Things won’t be the what they were before, maybe not ever again. But we can keep pressing forward. We can find new ways to reach our goals. Flexibility and adaptability will be important. But so will persistence and patience.

Inspire
Here’s your writing prompt for this week:

Retell a memorable story you’ve heard, being as faithful as possible to the voice of the teller. What does the story say about the storyteller? What makes the story so memorable?

Stories are important. True histories. Family stories. Make believe stories. Our lives are made up of stories. And we need to remember them. Write down those you can remember. Write your stories.

Encourage
I’ll leave you this week with this thought:

Happy writing.

Unlock the Muse – April 6, 2020

Most of us are learning to cope with a new normal. Many people are working from home. Many others are out of work. Schools are closed across the nation. And no one can tell us how long these “temporary” measures will go on.

For some of us, this new reality has opened up new avenues of creativity. More time at home means more time for writing. For others, myself included, the anxiety of the unknown, or the pressures of new activities have shut down the creative muse.

Inspire
Here’s your writing prompt for this week:

Create a fable that explains how the sun, moon or stars came to be.

Every culture around the world has a creation story. Imagine your own version of how things came to be. If you’re writing fantasy fiction, or fiction set in another world, write a creation fable for your world.

Encourage
The most important thing we can do in this new reality, is to adapt. Compared to so many people, my life is easy. I’m healthy. I’m still employed. I have the means to stay home and attempt to educate my children. Writing has taken a back seat for me, which is frustrating. But like so many, I am trying to adapt, to adjust, to find a way to make this new normal work better. For myself, for my family, and for my goals I’m not willing to give up.

Thank you for reading. I hope you are finding your way through this crazy world we’re living in. If my words have helped you in anyway, or if you have found a way that works for you, please consider sharing in the comments.

Thank you, and happy writing.