{"id":5171,"date":"2020-11-15T22:18:51","date_gmt":"2020-11-16T05:18:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/?p=5171"},"modified":"2020-11-15T22:18:57","modified_gmt":"2020-11-16T05:18:57","slug":"writing-in-the-time-of-covid-openbook-blog-hop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/?p=5171","title":{"rendered":"Writing in the Time of Covid #OpenBook Blog Hop"},"content":{"rendered":"

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November 16, 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n

Has the pandemic affected your writing? If so, how? Have your writing habits changed in reaction to the ‘different’ world we are faced with?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I started working from home way long ago (back in March, but it seems like forever).\u00a0 My first thought was it would be ‘interesting,’ but was happy to think of all the extra time I’d get to write because I didn’t have to travel back and forth to work. All I had to do was walk downstairs to my computer.<\/p>\n

At first, it was true. Sure, I missed the face-to face-interactions with my coworkers, but we got our work done, despite all the extra things thrown our way.\u00a0 What I didn’t count on was the pandemic lasting this long.<\/p>\n

But here we are, nine months later, with things getting worse and no end in sight. Although I’m still writing, I’m finding myself become more reflective about the words I’m putting on paper. That might be because I’m working on the last book in the Harmony Duprie Mysteries and I want to make it the best of the series. Or maybe because I don’t foresee having the opportunity to participate in book signings, so I’m not in a rush to meet a deadline.<\/p>\n

And I’ve given myself the month of November to ‘play.’ If you’ve never heard of it, November is NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month. The idea is to try to write 50,00 words in one month. It’s tougher than you might think, especially for someone with a full-time job. I’m writing a story from Jake’s point of view (Jake in the anti-hero in the Harmony Duprie Mysteries) and he’s full of surprises. I don’t foresee there being a market for the story, but I’m writing it anyway.<\/p>\n

The biggest difference I see in myself is that I’m finding it harder to keep my focus, in my writing, in my work, and in my personal life. And\u00a0 I miss interacting with potential readers at events. I should have been in Estes Park last weekend, at the Deadly Realities book show. And next weekend, I should have been at the Steampunk event in Loveland. Hey y’all, how are you?<\/p>\n

What does all this mean for me when we get to the other side of this crisis? I don’t know. I hate making predictions. No promises, but I should have a new book ready for you.<\/p>\n

And because I’m having fun with it, here’s a totally unedited snippet from Jake’s story, with an early interaction between him and Harmony. Please excuse any and all typos and mistakes.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan I at least get a goodnight kiss?\u201d<\/em>
He hoped she’d step off that final stair so they’d be on solid ground, but she stayed where she was. Instead, she took his face between her hands and stared into his eyes. At the moment when he couldn’t take it anymore and was ready to pull her into his arms, she brought her mouth down to meet his. It was a soft kiss, lips only, but it set his senses on fire. Her flowery scent enveloped him, the softness of her hands soothed him, the sweetness of her lips made him hungry for more. He wasn’t ready for the moment when she pulled away.\u00a0<\/em>
\u201cGood night, Jake,\u201d she said as she turned and ran up the stairs.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Any other woman he would have followed, but not her, Jake thought, as he swirled his bottom-shelf whiskey in the chipped glass.<\/em><\/p>\n

Let’s find out how everyone else is doing by following the links below.

And, until next time, stay safe!<\/p>\n

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November 16, 2020<\/p>\n

Has the pandemic affected your writing? If so, how? Have your writing habits changed in reaction to the ‘different’ world we are faced with?<\/p>\n

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit\/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet\/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.<\/p>\n

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You are invited to the Inlinkz<\/strong> link party!<\/p>\r\nClick here to enter<\/a><\/div><\/div>\r\n