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Let’s Not Talk About March

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Let’s Not Talk About March

Dear Blog,

Boy, a lot has changed since I last wrote. Except when it comes to my monthly word count totals. Ugh, let’s not talk about the dark days of March.

On the bright side, I shouldn’t have too hard a time beating March’s word count. I’m really trying to see the positive here.

Okay, so we have a new month ahead of us. It’s April (you know, in case you didn’t know). The weather is slowly starting to warm up (YAY!). And I hear the peak of that COVID-19 curve is expected about mid-month for the United States.

March was a whirlwind for my emotions. The stress of having a pandemic in the middle of a kitchen remodel is rough. I still have no kitchen (no counters, no sink or dishwasher, no oven) and the cabinets are delayed two weeks (so far). I’ve been washing dishes in the bathroom sink (which is not large) and in the bathtub, and cooking and reheating meals in an eight-quart crock pot. Normally, I’d say ‘screw it’ and use paper towels for sandwiches, but because there seems to be a shortage of paper towels in this country, we’ve been using real plates.

As annoying as all of this is, things could still be a whole lot worse. I mean, we could have no electricity during this whole pandemic mess. See, focusing on the positive. 🙂

But what you really want to know is, how is the writing going?

Well, in a nutshell, yesterday, in one whole day, I wrote about a quarter of what I had written in March. Things are looking up.

I don’t feel as stressed out as before. We got our hired electrical work done and inspected on the 31st, so I’m feeling a whole lot better. I’m a writer, so my mind comes up with all possible negative outcomes.

April will be a big month for releasing stress and going with the flow. And I’m hopeful I can get my kitchen back by June. *fingers crossed*

With so little writing getting done in March, I was feeling stressed out and frustrated. And that only fueled the downward spiral into despair.

But I’ve been focusing really hard on doing what writers do. Getting into the swing of studying the writing craft and brainstorming ideas. For me, that is what helps me start to feel creative again.

So much of what I write is emotional and dramatic, and I have to feel what my characters are feeling and envision what they’re seeing. If I’m struggling personally, this part of the process is extremely difficult. So, my big job in the coming weeks and months is managing my own emotions.

How am I doing that?

The last time I wrote, I talked about EFT (or tapping). It stands for Emotional Freedom Techniques, and it’s a way we can release stress, anxiety, and negative emotions. I’ve also been learning about chakra healing.

I’ve been working a fair amount with that to relieve stress and to feel creative again. I highly recommend this to anyone who is struggling in anything in their lives. It is so helpful (despite how weird it sounds)!

Anyway, it’s time for me to get my coffee and sit down to write. Until next time…

Jody Calkins
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