Journaling Through the COVID-19 Pandemic by Laurie Wood

We here in North America are into week two of what I’m going to call the “awareness” of the global pandemic of COVID-19. We’ve become “aware” of the need for social distancing, self-isolation, handwashing, what businesses are considered “essential”, and who’s getting laid off and who can work from home.

The rest of the world figured it out in January and February, but Canada and the US managed to keep our rose-coloured glasses on till the week of March 9^th. That was the week my husband, who’s a Major in the Canadian Armed Forces (Air Force) started getting serious dispatches about how our military was about to cope with the pandemic reaching our shores. And on Friday, March 13^th, around lunch time, I went grocery shopping and decided I’d “stock up” on some essentials before there was a run on them.

Well, the joke was on me because the shelves were already half bare. There was no toilet paper to be had, Kleenex and paper towels were nearly gone, and the meat department looked like the night stock boys hadn’t finished their shift. I managed to score the last two packages of chicken drumsticks. I stared at my “essentials” list and realized that people who were better organized, more up on the news, had already stripped the shelves of hand sanitizer, Lysol wipes and spray, toilet bowl cleaner (apparently Winnipeggers really care about having clean toilets), and dishwasher detergent.

That was the beginning of my family’s “work-at-home-self-isolation”. Our adult children have Down Syndrome and we kept them home during Week One even though their program was still open. My husband was ordered to work from home. My writing routine of peace and quiet was immediately disrupted with three other adults home all day, every day.

The above paragraphs are from a letter I sent to a far-away friend. And then I got the idea to keep a specific journal. Journaling during this pandemic is an excellent idea if you’re a writer. Your experiences as a family, or as a single person, stuck at home and dealing with the social isolation and supply shortages, are crucial to your family history. Recording your thoughts and the events of your days will be special to your children who’re dealing with being out of school, their anxieties, and new experiences as they Facetime with friends from their homes.

Here’s some ways to record or journal your way through this pandemic:

1.      Bullet Journal: keep lists of the TV shows your binge on Netflix, the movies you watch with your kids, the science projects & activities you do with them. Keep a list of how many books you read/review. Keep a list of any new hobbies you learn. New podcasts, webinars, online courses you take. The trivia of your days are the details future generations will cherish.

2.      Keep a video log of your children each day. Have them say something they did that was fun during the day, something new they learned, something they wish was different, something they look forward to when this is all over. Take videos of them being active outside when the weather is good. 

3.      Journal in long-hand for the “bigger” experiences…how your perspective has changed. What is more important to you now than it was a month ago? What is better? What are you grateful for in this time of uncertainty? How is God more real to you now?

We bring hope to readers with our stories. We write to entertain people. We write to record human experience and right now, the global pandemic is bringing the world together in a way it hasn’t experienced since 1918 with the Spanish Flu. Those days are with us again.

Let’s make sure that the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic is recorded with words that speak of our generosity, compassion, bravery, love, and the bright light of the human spirit. Let’s rest in Jesus’ assurance that “in this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 15:33 He will never leave us or forsake us.

It’s not to late to start that new journal. Grab a new notebook, or binder paper, or open up a new Document on your laptop. Have you thought about doing this?  Please share your experiences in the comments. 

 BOOK LINK: Amazon

Northern Deception

(Heroes of the Tundra Book 1)

Reunions can be deadly.

After a savage attack in university, Kira Summers fled to the safety of northern Canada and her work as a polar bear scientist. But when her whistleblower brother dies in a mysterious car crash, she must return home to bury him and pack his belongings. Unaware she’s carrying explosive evidence someone’s willing to kill for, she has no choice but to rely on the one person she never thought she’d see again.

Lukas Tanner, a widowed single father of a special needs toddler, moved to Churchill five years ago. As the proud owner of Guiding Star Enterprises, a wilderness tour company, he and his daughter lead a simple life. But when Kira comes crashing back into his world, he realizes God has other plans. Now, Lukas and Kira must confront a merciless killer as their past and present collide in a deadly race—a race they must win if they have any hope of a future together.

Laurie Wood is a military wife who’s lived across Canada and visited six of its ten provinces. She and her husband have raised two wonderful children with Down Syndrome to adulthood, and their son and daughter are a wonderful blessing to their lives. Over the years, Laurie’s books have finaled in prestigious contests such as the Daphne du Maurier (twice), the TARA, the Jasmine, and the Genesis. Her family lives in central Canada with a menagerie of rescue dogs and cats. If the house were bigger, no doubt they’d have more.

Website:  https://www.lauriewoodauthor.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lauriewoodreadersgroup

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/LaurieJeanWood

           

Bullet Journal for Writing Novels by Heather Woodhaven

Author Kristine McCord gave one of my favorite Christmas gifts to me. She handed me my first ever Moleskine lined notebook. “Trust me. Just try it,” she said. “The more you use it, the more you’ll love it. The feel of it changes with use.” 

 

I took her word for it, but I was skeptical.

 

She was so right. I loved carrying it around. No other notebook would do. 

 

And it was perfect timing, because Lisa Phillips had just challenged me to free write, by hand, any thoughts I had on a scene right before getting on the computer. I thought this was a waste of time. I could just type out the scene as I thought of it and edit later. “Trust me,” she said. “Just try it.”

 

Initially I hated it, but my daily word count soared. Now, I can’t write without jotting down some notes first.

 

There was just one problem. When I wanted to find something, my notebook was a giant mess of notes. If I tried to make my notes neater, though, it hindered my creativity. When I daydream, my notes resemble my thoughts, which both look like scattered clouds.

 

Another author friend, Becky Avella, told me to come over because she couldn’t wait to show me how to bullet journal. I went over and learned the process of indexing my daily to-do lists as well as anything else my heart desired for daily living like: goals, workout diary, prayer journal, etc. We even added pretty stickers and pictures to our notebooks—Becky said, “Trust me. Just try it.” 

 

I used one of my trusty Moleskine notebooks and my new favorite pen (Ink Joy gel pen by Papermate. My husband said to trust him and just try it.)

 

I enjoyed dumping everything that was on my mind into my handy-dandy notebook so much that I wondered if the system could be used for fiction writing. 

 

Since I started my own bullet journal for my work-in-progress, I’ve found that this isn’t such a novel idea. (Hehe. Didn’t mean to do that, but now I’ve cracked myself up.)

 

Other writers have been using bullet journals with great success, but every one of them looks completely different. Essentially, you pick and choose what to keep in your notebook based on what works for you. 

 

I still consider myself a “pantser” because I don’t have everything figured out when I start writing a book. I do have to know my characters like the back of my hand as well as research the careers and problems they might encounter. Here’s what my bullet journal index looks like:

 

 

I have places for pretty pictures of my setting and characters, plus notes, research, and a page set aside to free-write each scene right before I’m ready to write it. I even have a spot to jot down future revisions so it doesn’t slow down the pace of my first draft. It’s helped me so much. 

 

Bottom line: If you have trustworthy friends, listen to them and try new writing techniques once in a while. Who knows? It might help your word count.

 

Trust me. Just try it. 



Countdown http://a.co/2uOLKPc

 

BORROWED TIME 

When Rachel Cooper witnesses the abduction of her neighbor's young twin sons, she springs into action to save them. But now the thwarted kidnappers are after her…and her only hope of survival is relying on their widowed single father, James McGuire. A weapon has been planted on a satellite James's company is ready to launch, and as the systems specialist, it's his job to stop it. But someone is set on keeping James from preventing the scheduled takeoff—and they'll use anyone close to him as leverage. Now he must find a way to protect his boys and the woman he's beginning to fall for…before the final countdown can even start.

 

 

Heather Woodhaven earned her pilot's license, rode a hot air balloon over the safari lands of Kenya, assisted an engineer with a medical laser in a Haitian mission, parasailed over Caribbean seas, lived through an accidental detour onto a black diamond ski trail in the Aspens and snorkeled among sting rays before becoming a mother of three and wife of one. Now Heather spends her days celebrating laughter, adding to her impressive list of embarrassing moments, and raising a family of aspiring comedians who perform nightly at her table. She channels her love for adventure into writing characters who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances--whether running for their lives or battling the insanities of life.