Not knowing is one of the worst parts.
For a good two or three weeks there I was in that in-between place where you don't know what's going to happen. But I had a creeping dread that it was not gonna be the good option. Then the anxiety was around what my local governments would or wouldn't do. South Africa going into lockdown was a tremendous relief to me. It meant action was being taken.
There's still so much uncertainty. So many things that could continue to go wrong. And then there's our writing. We don't know how writing and books are going to be impacted during this crisis, and we don't know how the industry will look on the other side.
It's already changed my own work. I had to put away a dystopian project that was rooted in climate change and plague. I could feel myself stretching and growing as I worked on it, and I really thought it might The One, but I can't bear to pick it up right now. I don't know if I'll ever be able to again.
So I'm working on other things instead. An epic fantasy. A YA contemporary. A daily diary of what I'm going through.
"YA contemporary" may be a misnomer. Because it's not about the reality of life right now, it's about life pre-pandemic. I don't know what kind of market will be waiting for it when it's done.
So I wrote a blog post enumerating all these questions writers have in this moment. Fiction and nonfiction, indie and traditional. It doesn't offer easy answers, but will hopefully provide a little clarity as you weigh things for yourself.
The Big COVID-19 Question Writers Are Asking
If you're interested specifically in how traditional publishing is handling the pandemic, I recommend Print Run podcast, and Publisher's Weekly is putting out a free digital edition through the crisis.
I hope you're coping and being kind to yourself. Don't worry about being "productive" right now. Don't worry if you're struggling to be creative. This is not normal. Take of yourself and the people you love.
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