I tried very hard to think about something to blog about that wasn’t related to Coronavirus and failed miserably. Whatever way you look at it, none of us are leading normal lives. How many of us have moaned in the past how nice it would be to have a week or two when we could press the pause button on our busy lies to catch up on all the things we would love to do but can’t make time for. From all I’ve been reading lately, things haven’t worked out that way. True, a few million cupboards have been tidied and a fair amount of spring cleaning done but not much else. Watching a stack of films on TV doesn’t exactly come under ‘the things I wish I had time to get round to’ list. Twitter is full of posts from writers who are finding it difficult to write and others are finding it difficult to read.
Where it not for the lockdown, I would now be in the Azores on my lecture cruise. Strange to think that it’s actually only just over two weeks since it was cancelled – it feels like a very distance past. In last month’s blog I wrote about how busy I was preparing the history lectures and how everything else had needed to go by the wayside. Now I’m wonder if I’ll ever get to go on a cruise where I’ll be able to give those talks in the future.
I also mentioned in my March blog how Undercover Geisha was almost ready for publication. Sadly, it’s still no further forward. I’ve been too busy. I’ve been planning some home-alone lessons to send out to my yoga class and also sending members of my writers’ group some exercises to help stimulate their creative juices! I adapted each of them on the creative writing workshops I do on my lecture cruises.
As we all face the prospect of many more weeks – possibly months – of self-isolation, I’m convinced there are a great many people out there who might be looking for something to fill their time and would appreciate some guidance on how to develop their writing skills. For this reason, I decided it might be a good idea to put together the workshops in book form and put it out on Amazon for anyone who might be interested.
Today I’m putting Fun Creative Workshops for the New Writer up on Amazon as an eBook. I’d really appreciate your help to reach as wide an audience as possible. Please would you share my Facebook post, and if you are on Twitter, retweet (@CranswickJudith) for me. If you know of anyone who might be interested (perhaps you are in a local support group looking for interesting activities or your local U3A or social group) would you let them know about it, please? It’s available at UK: https://urlzs.com/DhdLa, US: https://urlzs.com/BPXDU and on all Amazon stores.
The book has not had the scrutiny my books would normally receive, but I believe the need for it is now and I would like it out there ASAP. The more people who look through it for me to check for any glitches the better. If any of you would be prepared to take a quick look at it for me, email or message me on my contact page and I’ll send you a free copy. Lastly, do any of you have any suggestions as to where I could let people know about it?
I can see this next week I’m still going to be super busy trying to get this book off the ground, get lessons out to my Yoga and Tai Chi groups and fit in time to do my own Tai Chi, yoga and Pilates sessions. I’m trying to do all my activity classes at the time in the week I would normally be doing them. Despite my good intensions, I haven’t yet found the YouTube demo videos to replace my Zumba and line dance sessions.
With luck, I’ll soon be able to get back to my own work and sort out Undercover Geisha. I’d already begun putting ideas together for the next Fiona Mason mystery and doing a fair amount of research on Jane Austen. I’m not sure if I can remember all those plot ideas and character developments I had in my head, it’s so long ago since I gave them a thought. I can bin all those plans to visit Winchester and Bath plus all the National Trust and historic houses associated with films and TV series made from her books for a good few months!
A final plea – as I’m so new to Twitter I don’t have many followers, please follow me at @CranswickJudith and let me know so I can follow you back.
I do hope you are all well. Do let me know how you are spending your time.
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