Home Alone

What are you doing with your time while at home during this pandemic? Working? Perusing social media? Watching the news? Reading? Binge-watching favorite series and movies?

Since I’m not set up to work from home, I’m doing a little of everything else. But, I want to make the most of this time, so I’m also working on:

• Getting back to my writing
• Blogging
• Learning to play the piano
• Familiarizing myself with graphics programs

Today, I started a project I’ve been thinking about for some time–writing very short stories for my grandchildren. These are not stories I intend to sell, they’re simply to give to my grandkids, and it will hopefully inspire a love of reading and writing.

This is something all writers can do while “stuck” at home!

It began as an idea to hand-write letters to them. Few people send letters anymore, and though Tommy, Allie and Jack may be too  young to appreciate them, I thought if I put them in story format, they might be more interested.

Now that Tommy is reading, perhaps he’ll even want to read them.

With kids out of school, I took my idea a bit further and added a very short writing exercise at the end of his story, The Magic Shopping Cart. At the end of the chapter I wrote today, all he has to do is write down three places he’d like the shopping cart to take him.

I then inserted into the story an instruction for Allie to close her eyes and choose one with her magical finger. Once they let me know where that place is, that’s where the next chapter will begin.

Jack’s story is about riding the bus he loves to sing about.

I’ll put stories for Tommy, Allie and Jack in the mail today. I hope they begin to look forward to getting mail and reading a story about them and the things they love.

For me, it’s a way to stay in touch with my grandchildren, and it’s certainly a way for me to go to magical places myself, away from the reality of the real world.

If you’d like to share what you’re doing with your time, please leave a comment below!

Today’s Positive News Story:

Chef José Andrés Is Turning Some Closed Restaurants Into Community Kitchens to Help Feed People During the Pandemic (Video)