Spring in California

 by Jamie Freveletti

I wanted to start this post with a beautiful picture of nature, because a little beauty is a balm at times. This blog is about all things writing, and I’ll try to stay on point even through the current world circumstances. Like everyone else these days, I’m sheltering in place and trying to keep my mind on work, while also keeping an eye to the news of the day. Needless to say, every day is a challenge. That’s why I greatly appreciated the suggestions of Bryan E. Robinson Ph.D, author of #Chill, Turn Off Your Job and Turn on Your Life, and friend of fellow writer Kim Howe, who offered some excellent advice on how to calm oneself during this crisis. You can read his suggestions in his recent guest post here.

I’m also reading the tweets and facebook posts of other authors lamenting their inability to write and it gives me some comfort knowing that I’m not alone in this affliction. Writing is, under the best of circumstances, a solitary pursuit, so one would think that this situation allows for plenty of time to crank out words. But alas, that’s not the case for some of us. I have three projects that I’m juggling and the attention span for less than one, so you can imagine how things are going.

So, what am I doing besides writing my greatly reduced word count? Sifting through my stack of DVDs and books, running like mad, cleaning, cleaning, cleaning and, like everyone else, waiting and hoping that this situation takes a turn for the better.

I want to thank everyone who has been contacting me about my published books, both on social media and other platforms, to tell me how much they enjoyed them. Some have had the books on their shelves for a while and just now reached them in their To Be Read pile, others have ordered them online, some checked them out from the library and some are rereading them. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You brighten my day and give me the determination to keep going.

And back to those projects. My concern was that they would seem trivial under the present circumstances. That the stories wouldn’t hold up under the weight of our current world predicament. I’m glad to say that they still capture my imagination. And it’s interesting to see how they’re morphing into a different tenor. One, a historical, went “on submission” to the editors right before the stay at home orders hit, and of the other two one is at 40,000 words and the other at 65,000 words. The average thriller is between 80,000 and 100,000, give or take, and mine usually land around 95,000, so I have a way to go on both of them. Those two are both set in present day.

Finishing them will take longer, though, and I’ve had to pare down other commitments to narrow my focus to the work in front of me. You’ll find me on a “hiatus” of sorts, and while not exactly in a writing cave, definitely paring back. I imagine a lot of us are doing the same, no matter what our jobs and commitments.

But even so, I’m sticking with them and still tapping out the chapters that I can while waiting for summer. And if you’re like me, waiting for summer and wondering what the future holds, I hope that I see you on the flip side and that you and yours weather this situation and emerge intact, happy and healthy.

All the best, 

Jamie