Stuck at Home Writers' Project

My current situation in limerick form:

Been working on art, and some cleaning. Got kittens to pet, movies streaming. Got nowhere to go - The TP is low... I guess this is real- we’re not dreaming! 😷

Oh geez! REWRITTEN in proper form:

Been working on art, and some cleaning.
Got kittens to pet, movies streaming.
Got nowhere to go-
the TP is low...
I guess this is real - we're not dreaming!

Fun! @tigerlilyknotwise

Very clever, @tigerlilyknotwise
I'm doing the Get in the Habit swap, so that has me writing more than I had been. I just commented to my partner that the current "Social distancing" edict has also put me in my chair at the computer and writing more. I've been using my jar full of Good Earth Tea tags as prompts. Each one has a quotation, usually provocative, sometimes funny. I started collecting them back when I was still teaching high school English years ago. I'd use them as freewriting exercises for the kids to respond to in whatever way they wanted. So now, I'm giving myself that same assignment. I'm hoping one of them will give me an idea I want to develop into a longer piece. We'll see!

I am trying to keep myself from panic! I have limited immune system - taking chemo, so I worry :( I am trying to read, write and begin to spring clean my house! And even try some of those art techniques I've saved :) You'd think with all this time, I'd be getting tons of stuff done - but alas... no. Anyway, each day I get up try again!

So, for me, it's pretty much life as usual. I work every day, until they tell me not to. I work in a grocery store, so it's crazy and people have lost their minds, hoarding things they don't need & keeping them from the people who actually do need them. When I'm away from the store, I try to make things, watch movies & shows & ignore the chaos.

I'm in the Dallas area, which has just instituted a shelter in place thing. But I work at a hotel at night so I have to go to work, for now. When I'm not at work, I'm either sleeping or wrangling my kids who start online studies this week. My days have blurred together and honestly, I'm not sure if I'm coming or going.

My hotel has cut employees down. One housekeeper every other day and there is only my Director of Sales, one other front desk agent, and me left. I don't know how much longer I will be able to work. I never thought that work would become my happy place lol.

At work, with nothing really to do, I've taken to cleaning and sanitizing everything. I also have started editing the first drafts of my short stories that I'm writing for a self published collection. And catching up with penpals and swaps. So my apocalypse is going great!

For those who may be looking for a how-to on characterization methods, on Twitter director/writer Steven Canals has posted his method. His example is using his show "Pose" as well as a blank one for writers.

I'm in Houston where my workplace has been working remotely since March 11. So, during the day I'm at my dining room table with the work laptop and communicating with my team via phone, text, email and Slack. It's difficult to remember what day it is. The cues that are around my desk at work (two calendars, nine wall-mounted large-screen TVs, Outlook meeting reminders and the like) aren't here. I've resorted to one TV on in the living room and the one in the bedroom with the sound up so I can hear if the "Breaking News" alerts come on.

Luckily, the balcony runs the full length of my apartment, so I can get fresh air and a "sense" of the city without actually leaving home. The bad thing, I'm not getting my steps in each day. There's only so much walking around an apartment a girl can do!

On Saturday, I ventured out for a hot minute to go to post office, ATM and a dash into the independent scrapbook store to pick up the April challenge kit. Crafting -- and reading! -- has been what I do in the evening and weekend to keep sane. The swaps I've been joining of late are for little projects I can complete in an hour or two. The challenge is you pay $25 to buy a box filled with $40-$50 of supplies and you have to make something with whatever is in the box. I won the March challenge with a paper bag book! Prize was a $30 gift certificate to the store. (The prize amount is based on the number of people who participate; $5 goes to the prize. So for March there were six contestants.)

This week, I will turn my attention to April planning for Camp NaNoWriMo. For starters, I've pulled out a couple of books I want to read. For those interested, there is a Swap-bot Wrimos group on the NaNo site that you can join.

That's my Monday update!

@Carol -- Share one of the tea prompts with us.

Sounds like everyone is finding ways to make the most of this time at home. I'll be a little more detailed about what's happening here. My cousin just moved out of my former craft room, where she was living for the last 8 months, so I have my craft space back - yay! It's a 500 sq.ft. room off the side of the garage, so separate from the house, but still "here". I spent some time cleaning everything and now I just have to arrange and move all my craft supplies back in!
I've got all my collab art projects laid out because this seems like the perfect time to concentrate on getting those caught up too. I sent off my last mail swap today and probably won't sign up for any more for a while (unless they continue the collab art puzzle...we only have two pieces left!)
I also just got the new Animal Crossing game for Nintendo Switch, which was released Friday, so I'm spending some time playing that too. Been a Nintendo kid since the first one came out, and playing the Animal Crossing releases since the first one on the Gamecube. That's my "no thinking fun time".
Otherwise, just trying to stay in touch with family and take care of my kitties, and yes @artistic - get those steps in! I've still been going to the park to walk a few days a week. Otherwise, running all my craft supplies back out to the studio should keep me moving for a few days at least! Allergies are kicking in, but I'm trying not to slow down too much...

Here's the link to the NaNoWriMo Swap-bot Wrimos group.

I'm still working and doing pretty much my normal routine, because I'm considered essential personnel, so my writing and life are still relatively keeping apace. But I'm working on my Twitter RP storylines, my various open fanfic WiPs [there are far too many for my comfort], prepping for the three things coming up in April: NaPoWriMo, CampNaNo, and the OutlawQueen theme week [forgot the name atm], which may be part of my CampNaNo project.

Partners are assigned. Let's keep the chat going. It's the only way to get rated for this swap.

Last week was fairly normal, go to work for the full week. I'm a secretary in the public defender's office, so while there isn't much to do, we still need to be there. The other secretary and I are trading off weeks at work. Last week, I worked and she took vacation. This week, I'm home working on transcription until it runs out then I'll have to take vacation. Next week, I'm back in the office. Repeat until my vacation time runs out...

I'm not writing much. I've got a huge embroidery project due in June and I am so far behind. That's the one good thing about maybe having vacation days - I should get caught up. I like to embroider, it lets me space out and concentrate on it.

My original Camp NaNo goal was to write the next in my series of novels. But now I'm just going to concentrate on getting my morning pages in on 750words.com. It helps my mood and reminds me that there is more than just work and embroidery.

That sounds like a good idea, @Nserviam