Welcome to the page that houses the 2020 #GBWritesWithOthers guest blogging initiative! Established in April 2019, it was created to help boost writers at all levels in their careers through pure community effort.
Views and topics are those of their authors.
I’ll always remember the look of terror in everyone else’s eyes when they heard they’d be under strict lockdown. Working from home while dealing with the kids? Was that a sick joke or something?
My family and friends were all freaking out. But I’m an introverted translator. “The joke’s on you, Coronavirus. I can handle this,” I told myself. And I honestly thought nothing would change.
The most ironic part of writing a blog post about writing during quarantine is that these words will be the most I’ve written in succession since our State of Emergency went into effect March 16, 2020.
But when Gillian asked me to contribute, who was I to say no to the opportunity to attempt to put my thoughts and feelings about how this pandemic has affected me not only emotionally but professionally. It was a blog post I had considered writing for myself when this was all said and done anyway, but since we don’t see an end in sight anytime soon and this opportunity arose, I suppose now is as good a time as any to lay it all out.
So here’s my real talk: I can’t write anymore.
The beginning of my quarantine was sudden. It started in the middle of March and nearly every day since has felt exactly the same. My day planners, to-do lists, photographs on my phone, and hours logged on Animal Crossing say otherwise, but as a people, we have collectively existed in a state of unknowing. With no idea when this pandemic will end, we’ve reached the point where the past five months feel more like an abridged year with compressed and confusing experiences throughout.
Somewhere in that time, something occurred that felt a long time coming: I became uncertain of my value and self-worth.
A quick glance at my bookshelf reveals all secrets. What secrets might these be? That I have an insatiable interest in the history of exploration and human endurance. Books about Everest, Arctic expeditions, archeological searches in harsh environments… they are my jam. I obsessively read survivors’ tales and pieced-together accounts of doomed journeys. I cannot get enough of what humans will do, because they can.
For the first time ever, I am going to publish the roster of writers via its own post! This year, our theme (also a first…there has never been a theme before!) is “What I Learned from #QuarantineLife.” I believe there is a lot to be gained from others during this unprecedented year, so this is my effort to collect and share the knowledge, build our community, and foster cerebral bonds through the art of expression.
