Guest Post | Mindy Graham on Writing in a Pandemic

Heroes, Heroines and Writing Happily Ever Afters in a Pandemic.

My hero and heroine are battling a pandemic. No, I’m not plotting a love-in-lockdown romance, but I am trying to walk my protagonists towards their HEA amidst a world in turmoil. Covid-19 has stormed 2020 and reorganised our lives.

For some, this may have their houses smelling of freshly baked goods as they binge watch Netflix or devour a pile of books, but for many of us it feels like an Oklahoma tornado. Health scares, social isolation, home-schooling, job loss and exhaustion are just some of the anxieties hurtling into our lives. Not to mention supermarket shelves stripped bare. Who would have thought three months ago a soul bearing a few rolls of toilet paper could be a hero?

In a world that has never been more segregated, we have also never been more unified. The battle is on and not one of us, or our plans for this year are unscathed, but we can still emerge victorious. As a mum and a writer, I won’t deny there are moments of tearing-my-hair-out tears in the bathroom, but there is also joy amidst the craziness as I work to complete my first novel.

A Writer’s Life in Lockdown

I am thankful for a generous husband who tag teams with me for an hour or so most afternoons so I can write. And I have a new appreciation for notebooks where I capture ideas before the craziness of pandemic-induced lockdown devours them. In fact, my number one must-have as a writer is The Tradie’s Notebook. Yep it’s a thing, and I imagine my Year Twelve English teacher would never have thought the girl who wrote all her Jane Austen notes on pink paper would ever own one.

But I do, and here’s why.

It has waterproof paper. Perfect for ideas while washing up or when my imaginary people start chatting in the shower, which is pretty much my only headspace haven these days. Before anyone freaks out, the paper is recyclable, I have a water efficient shower head and scribble some crazy-known-only-to-me shorthand … fast.

I’ve never written a novel before and at times the task ahead of me feels insurmountable. I don’t exactly know what I’m doing, but I have to take that statement and add a “yet” after it (a tip I learned from Tamar Sloan). I don’t exactly know what I’m doing, YET. And I never will, if I don’t persevere.

Instead of looking at the mountain, I’m focussing on small chunks and taking that one next step. The pathway to the end is always made up of many “just take the next step” moments. Moments where we need to press in to a God who not only holds each of us, but also the world he created in his hands. This applies not just to the words we write but to the stories of our lives in 2020.

What makes a hero?

With Anzac Day just gone, I’ve also been thinking about what makes a hero. Is it only those on the frontline? Or could there be room in our definition for those in the trenches? And what about those who keep the home fires burning? The ones whose only weapon is found when they drop to their knees in prayer.

There are so many amazing heroes on the frontline in the battle against Covid-19. They are in our hospitals and health care facilities. They are exhausted, scared and digging deep. And there are others. Food retailers, teachers, primary producers, garbage collectors, vets, and many more. But there are a number of fighters who will go unnoticed. No clever meme, no moving video tribute, possibly no recognition at all. Yet they too are exhausted, scared and digging deep.

The unseen, unsung heroes of 2020 are regular people like you and me.

To the mums and dads juggling children, online learning, working from home and keeping their family in isolation no matter how hard it gets. Thank you.

To the single people staying home even when the loneliness is suffocating. Thank you.

To the children and adults for whom home isn’t safe, my heart breaks for you. Being in lockdown is tough enough without living in fear of the next cruel word or bruise you won’t even need to cover with makeup. Your endurance and strength are beyond words.

To the only child who hasn’t had another child to play with for weeks, hang in there, this won’t be forever.
Every soldier in a battle is vital.

On our knees.

In the war against Coronavirus some soldiers will fight the disease up close, but others will be stocking supermarket shelves, or hiding in wardrobes until it’s safe to come out, or wondering at three am if their small business will survive, or taking deep breaths navigating algebra and wondering how they can divide themselves into four. A number of Covid-19’s casualties will never test positive to the virus.

These are tough times, so let’s cheer each other on. And if you are someone who prays, pray like crazy for those on the frontline but also pray for the unseen hero fighting in a trench that no one else may ever know about.

In all of this let’s keep our eyes on the one real hero. The one who died so we can live. The one who stands shoulder to shoulder with us whether we are in the heat of the battle or in the trench. With him all things are possible. Alone we will struggle. Together, even if for now it’s in cyberspace, we are stronger, but on our knees, we have access to a formidable power that helps each of us be the hero we need to be.

Wherever that is. Whatever that looks like. Every single day.