This past few weeks, the world has completely changed. We’re at the mercy of corona virus COVID-19. Entire countries have been shut down, loved ones have been placed in quarantine and let’s not start on the state of the supermarkets. Here in the UK, we’re not quite at a full lockdown stage yet, but I don’t think we’ll be far off. It feels like something out of a film. So how do we adjust to this new normal? Can we?

It’s one of those things that really displays the two sides of humanity. You get the heartwarming stories of people singing from the balconies together in Italy, people going out of their way to help elderly neighbours and trying to keep everyone connected. On the other hand, there’s people profiting from this pandemic, selfishly denying others the basics by stockpiling and putting their personal needs before common sense. It’s interesting to look at how fear motivates people. And the media really isn’t helping.

One aspect I’m really interested in, from a writer’s perspective, is somehow finding inspiration in the midst of all this craziness. As I said before, it feels like the plot of a film, but are there stories in here that we writers can take and use? It’s an awful lot of material and I know it’s got my brain going. I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of books written in quarantine follow a pattern – although I know there’s a lot of dodgy self publishing content about coronavirus on Amazon, but this isn’t the same thing.

Well, Shakespeare allegedly wrote King Lear in quarantine from the plague, so maybe the self isolation would be a good time to get the inspiration going. Of course, it’s not about making light of a serious situation, it’s about trying to find something positive within it. And sometimes, you have to look for those positives because the reality is just too scary. Yes, fear can be a powerful emotion, but it can also be one that inspires.

It’s going to be very hard to adjust to this new normal, especially since there’s still so much uncertainty surrounding it. We’re going to have to make sacrifices we never imagined we’d have to make, do things we couldn’t imagine doing, and live under the rule of this virus. It makes you realise just how fragile the human race is and how easily it can be shut down. It’s something we’ve taken for granted, and now, all we can do is try to make our way through the best we can. Try to come together in these troubling times and prove that humanity can be a strong opponent to an enemy we never imagined we’d be facing.

Stay safe everyone.

Atlantic Split, At Liberty To Live and An Undercover Dream, the first three books in The Luke Bright Series are available to purchase NOW! The final book of the series A Long Lost Time will be released in 2020!

Please follow me on my blog and social media links below, and use the links on my website to purchase a copy of each if you have not done so. Don’t forget to leave a review! Thank you once again for taking the time to read this blog post.

N.A.K