Will you be writing about your experience?

I am a writer by nature and craft.  An entire career as a newspaper reporter/journalist, then newspapers died.  I write other things, but nothing pays.  As a "real" writer, I must say that everything one writes flows through one's experience.  That experience involves the conscious, subconscious, superconscious and even past life memories.  If one is only concerned with today's minutiae, why write at all?  That's the sort of thing (non consequential) one tells their day-to-day loved ones, not the thing to write about to the world at large.

Good question! I can't help but write about it (with photos): on my Blog, on Facebook, on Instagram. I even sent my coronavirus story to online news sources that asked their readers to share. Writing helps us understand what is happening and our own reactions. Read my Blog if you want:

http://lonnalisawilliams.wordpress.com/

I probably won't be writing about this pandemic and our lives during it. I write spicy and humorous romances with guarateed upbeat endings. There's nothing about this pandemic that inspires me to write anything but the books I already write -- featuring heroes to die for, heroines to root for, and funny dogs. My husband and I make a point out of watching lots of humorous TV shows and movies to combat the overwhelmingly sad news every day. I try to write books that bring readers that same bit of positive, happy time away from stress and sorrow. My Facebook page is also a place for people to come to find positive and upbeat stories about rescue pets and other animals. We all need a place we can go to chill.

In terms of understanding the human condition during this pandemic, nothing interesting is happening to warrant writing about it. Basically too boring. I suppose some socio-political writers could manifest based on the macro issues. But again, that bores me to no end, just not lively enough, and i only write about what i like to read myself: authentic masculinity and manhood in our times.

I have written a little about my experiences. It's just not very interesting compared to my fiction.

All my blog and website clients want content around the CoVid-19 impact so I've been adding in stuff for them. As far as my own experiences - no.  It would make good essay material, however, so maybe someday. I have so many fiction things going, no time at present. Good material for down the road though.

In the twenty-six novels I have written, I have detailed the many places       around the world where my late wife Sandra and I have traveled. Of course, these places have been fictionalized to various degrees to make the stories more interesting. The one place I never wrote about yet is our great trip to   the Holy Land of Israel, the most magical place either of us had traveled. It  is my hope that one day soon I will write a fiction novel with Israel as the     setting for a truly terrific fiction story, but one with plenty of real places and events of significance. 

With much of the world on lockdown or quarantine, this bizarre time seems to me a topic to avoid. Generally it's logical to use one's individual experiences as a foundation for storytelling. But in this global event, there's nothing remotely unique or distinctive about my personal experience. And given that I'm comparatively privileged during this pandemic (plenty of food, sufficient money, healthy family, a safe home), it seems presumptuous to treat my day-to-day experience as an important perspective worth sharing. Amid devastating loss and trauma and selflessness globally, why would anybody care about the perspective of a middle class, middle aged guy writing comfortably from his desk at home?

I feel that at this challenging time and in this situation, any messages I might deliver as a writer are of little relevance or help.

People are having to shift their focus. And so am I. My messages and videos will be about every day stuff, and the activities I now have time to fulfill. My goal is to help take people's minds off of their issues and hopefully entertainment and support them. 

I am writing up a storm! I have just completed a new book about my faith journey through child loss and addiction. I am also blogging about the virus and its impact on my family.  https://maribethditmars.com/blog/ Since I am also a speaker, I am looking into virtual speaking opportunities.