Writing During Quarantine

At the moment, it feels a bit like the world is ending. People are dying in droves. Many are losing their livelihood. There is so much conflict and unrest. Lots of free-floating anxiety and depression running amok.

I keep asking myself, why does writing matter right now? Who really cares what I have to say? The world has gone mad. Our country is in free fall. It feels like there is no future.

Then I remind myself that humanity has been here many times before and we somehow managed to not only survive but thrive anew.

So here are some points to consider:

1. The world will eventually return to normal. If you are stuck in quarantine when you would normally be out and about and have the resources, you could be prolific. Shake off the anxiety or use it to fuel your work. Get into your bubble. Give a middle finger to fate. Use defiance to propel you to invest in the future.

At the very least, you can journal during this time to ease your soul. Do it simply for self-care or use the fodder in the future.

2. If you are just starting out, you could spend time learning everything you can about writing. There are hundreds of online classes, many of them free.

Writer Master Classes

Great Courses for Writers

Online Writing Courses

3.There has never been a better time or an easier method for self-publishing. You can upload for free to Nook, Kindle, Smashwords, and others. Dust off those old projects, smarten them up then go for it. What do you have to lose? There are tools to help you edit, format interiors, and create covers.

Kindle Create

Calibre

Book Design Formatting Interiors

Book Interior Resources

Book Covers Premade and Custom Designers

Book Covers DIY

4.You can make money. There are genres like romance and erotica where novels (even novellas) are raking in the cash. Do the research. Read what you want to write. Learn from those books. Find out what is hot. Some of the highest paid writers are in this category. A few thousand downloads at even 99 cents add up. Volume drives profit. It requires knowledge of your audience expectations and being prolific. With Amazon's algorithm, you have 30 days to make a splash with each entry. There are plenty of resources on how to market your work.

How to Make $8,000 A Month Writing Romance Novels (Self-Publishing)

How to Make Money Self-Publishing Short Romance Novels on Amazon

Turbo Charge Your Ebook Marketing

Promote Your Book (KDP)

The Book Launch Strategy of a #1 Amazon Bestseller

5. Book lovers in quarantine are devouring books. Surprisingly there has been an uptick in paperbacks, so don't forget to include readers who prefer paper over plastic.

The Coronavirus Pandemic Is Changing How People Buy Books

Story addicts will always need more books to feed our reading habit long after the pandemic is over. We could very well be waiting for yours.

Diana Hurwitz is the author of Story Building Blocks: The Four Layers of Conflict, Story Building Blocks II: Crafting Believable Conflict, Story Building Blocks III: The Revision Layers, and the YA adventure series Mythikas Island. Her weekly blog, Game On: Crafting Believable Conflict explores how characters behave and misbehave. Visit DianaHurwitz.com for more information and free writing tools. You can follow her on Facebook and Twitter.