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Help with results of Covid-19 Editor's Notes #309 March 18, 2020 |
| Hello, and you put them together and you get extraordinary effects. —Donald Barthelme In this issue: 1. Writing in the age of contagion 2. Tickled my funny bone 3. Interesting Web site 4. Writing prompt 5. Writers’ Helper helps with results of Covid-19 1. Writing in the age of contagion Two weeks ago, I wrote this section of Editor’s Notes. What a difference two weeks can make! Yesterday I decided that I had to do something to help. I’m leaving my original piece here in case it gives someone an idea or two. But what I’ve added today, and what may help you in this age of contagion, is in section number 5 below. COVID-19 reminds me that from time to time we deal with contagion, sometimes the common cold, sometimes a pandemic. My 90-year-old mom lives with me, so I’m probably a little over-the-top on this one. Nevertheless, I’ll share my thoughts and let you take it from there. When I started to write this, I felt relatively safe with a ferry ride between me and the lower mainland of southern British Columbia even though the virus had hopped a ride across the border from Washington State, the hotbed of infection in the USA. Since then, there has been a death in a seniors’ facility at the other side of Howe Sound, the water our ferry crosses. Like many writers or editors, I work from home. Tick off box number one. That won’t have to change. I live in an earthquake zone, and I take all threats seriously, so I have a substantial earthquake "kit" that includes at least a two-week supply of food and medications. Tick off box number two. If you don’t have such a supply, go easy on your shopping. Buy a few extra items each time you shop because no one, including you, will be better off if your neighbours don’t have enough. Hand sanitizer disappeared very quickly before I got any. But I discovered alcohol swabs. They work great, and I like the way I can clean our door handles with them. Tick off box number three. Also, rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) is 90% and will kill viruses. The computer tech I spoke to told me it also cleans screens, but check with your own expert because some finishes will be harmed. I suggest screens, especially those someone else may have touched, be cleaned. I have surveyed my house with a highly critical eye. What has been touched, and what could be touched by others? Everything got a good clean. My doctor told me that my despair over not having hand sanitizer to clean all guests before they got too far into the house was unnecessary as long as I escorted them to the sink and made sure they washed their hands enough (two times through Happy Birthday). Well, she didn’t say I had to escort them and stand over them. That was me being hyper vigilant. But you get the drift. I’m working on not touching my face. I catch myself when I’m tired or when I’m reading or watching TV. I’m trying to hold something in my hands to slow me down when I get the urge to touch my face. This is a big challenge for me. The main thing I’m doing is listening to our local health officials. I’m not staying away from everyone yet. I’m still letting my mom go to groups where I trust the people to be as careful as I am. But I acknowledge that the day may come when the two of us have to stay at home on our own. I rest easy knowing I’ve done all I can, and I know how to contact the appropriate authorities if I think either of us is infected. If you are a part-time writer with another job outside of the house, use any enforced isolation, if it comes to you, to write. And regardless of where you work or play, be alert to feelings and facts that could feed writing projects. Times of high emotion are rich mines for writers. Dig deep and reap the rewards. =========== 2.Tickled my funny bone Proofreading is a dying art, wouldn't you say? =========== 3. Interesting Web site Instead of giving you a specific Web site in this issue, I’m suggesting you find out exactly how to contact the correct health authority in your area for the best advice about what to do. =========== 4. Writing prompt The seed word is virus. Where can that take you today? =========== 5. Writers’ Helper helps with results of Covid-19 Shortly after writing the previous parts of this issue, I put my mom and myself in voluntary isolation. I do go out to get supplies, and I take my mom for "wheelchair walks." Now we are all asked to stay home as much as possible. This will be the new normal for the foreseeable future. Maybe it’s your reality, too. Along with the health threat hanging over the world, we are facing a huge financial hit. I’ve decided one thing I can do is to make quality editing less expensive during this trying time. For subscribers to Editor’s Notes and their friends, I am suspending the fee for the sample edit to anyone using the code EN19 until I cancel this offer. I intend to keep this offer open as long as the world is in crisis with Covid-19 and its aftermath, so watch this space. I will give a warning here before I pull this offer. You can submit your writing sample at https://www.writershelper.com/sample-edit.html Be sure to click the link below the heading "Promotion Code" to get to the special form for a free sample edit. If you find yourself at a form before clicking the special link, scroll slowly back up the page, and you should see the link for the code (EN19). But it gets better… When I return an edited writing sample, I include quotes for the full range of my editing services. Until further notice, I will give a true quote, but I will not charge writers the full amount. I am discounting my services 50% for subscribers to Editor’s Notes and their friends. I will give a warning here before I pull this offer. Feel free to pass this offer along to any writing friends you think may be interested. As long as anyone uses the code, I’ll honour the offer. This is what I can offer you in this time of crisis. I hope it encourages you as you face possible illness and financial uncertainty. All the best to you as you continue to write. =========== Join Writer's Helper Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/WritersHelperEditor Follow me on Twitter @AudreytheEditor Link on LinkedIn https://ca.linkedin.com/in/audreyowen (Email me first so I know how you know me.) =========== If you know a writer who would appreciate receiving Editor's Notes, forward this issue. If someone has passed this on to you, you can get your own free subscription by signing up at https://www.writershelper.com/newsletter.html |
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