The internet waited for me through our second summer of the pandemic. But at last I’ve begun some virtual housekeeping. Renewing memberships, fixing broken links, adding dates to the shared family calendar. And writing my first blog post since April. What do you know? The internet is still here. Here’s the backstory with a pro tip: never start a novel like this (or end a sentence with a demonstrative pronoun like “this” if you can help it).
Resignation, Vaccination, Graduation
As my youngest two “attended” high school and college from their bedrooms, I felt an increasing urge to be present and available to them in their frustration and loneliness. Like many, I chose to leave my virtual day job to be in-the-now for my husband and kids. I joined them at the table for the meals I’d cooked. We played games. We walked. We read the news and railed together. I wrote sometimes. More often, I let the computer and internet wait, and forgave myself for spending this strange, cruel time with my family instead.
Then, hurrah! Some amazing scientists paved a way out in record time. By spring 2021, even my youngest could get his vaccination. We tiptoed out of our home to celebrate, eat at restaurants, shop at the mall. In May, my husband and I were able to fly to DC attend son #2’s outdoor graduation ceremony.
Summer became a whirlwind of carefully (and gratefully) reconnecting with long-missed family and friends on both coasts. We sent son #3 back to college yesterday and the countdown has begun for son #4 to get back to in-person high school. Then, I hope, the writing will resume in earnest. Meanwhile, a reading recap.
SUMMER READING REVIEW: The internet waited while I read mysteries
I’ve loved reading mysteries since I was in grade school. Since high school, my father and I have been trading mystery recommendations and shipping hardcovers across the continent to each other. You can check out more of my recent “thrill reads” here.
FINLAY DONOVAN IS KILLING IT by Elle Cosimano: A light and lively romp about divorce, child-rearing, writer’s block and contract killing. Honestly, though, I read this summer gem at record pace with a smile on my face (note intentional rhyme – I just can’t help myself). It’s an equally recommended fall read for my fellow cozy-hardboiled mystery mash-up fans.
BLUE LIGHTNING by Ann Cleeves: Detective Jimmy Perez is back in the fourth installment of Cleeves’ acclaimed Shetland mystery series. Once again, I was enchanted by the author’s ability to evoke a unique sense of place. And Perez remains an engaging protagonist. The ending hit me hard, though.
CHARM CITY by Laura Lippman: Like Cleeves’s Shetland, place is central to Lippman’s Tess Monaghan mystery series. In this case, it’s 1990s Baltimore, gritty yet charming. This series definitely feels rather dated (cue floppy disks and 20th century feminism), but Lippman’s protagonist remains a charmer and her stories are full of heart.
FAITHFUL PLACE by Tana French: French is one of my pandemic favorites. Her writing is delicious and I obviously love mysteries. In this particularly good Dublin Murder Squad novel, Frank Mackie is drawn back to the cramped, complex family home from which he’d run away more than two decades ago to investigate the disappearance of his first love — the girl he thought had abandoned them on the day he left.
STILL LIFE by Louise Penny: I tried this book awhile back and couldn’t get into it. The second try was the charm, though. Inspector Armand Gamache investigates a murder in the small, eastern Canadian village of Three Pines. The setting of this impeccably crafted mystery novel (am I sensing a theme here?) enchants while its denizens — including painters, poets, and book-lovers — come to vivid life. Note: I’m currently reading the second Gamache novel, A FATAL GRACE.
ONLINE TOOLS TO KEEP THE INTERNET WAITING (Ironic, huh?)
I suppose being calm is too big a dream for 2021. However, I feel more thoughtful, more intentional in my creative behaviors. I’ve reset my priorities. I’ve learned (perhaps more accurately stopped pretending) that I have a social media “platform” that requires me to share — or that social media is anything more than a largely editorial, sometimes scary echo chamber. The internet waited and will continue to wait, so I suspect my online presence will remain light as fall proceeds.
I suppose being calm is too big a dream for 2021. However, I feel more thoughtful, more intentional in my creative behaviors. I’ve reset my priorities. I’ve learned (perhaps more accurately stopped pretending) that I have a social media “platform” that requires me to share — or that social media is anything more than a largely editorial, sometimes scary echo chamber. I suspect my online presence will continue to be light as fall proceeds.
I’m experimenting with some focus and productivity tools to separate being at-the-computer from being online. A summer of writing sprints with my NYU alum group introduced me to the joys of white noise. On my own, I’ve started using myNoise on YouTube to help me focus. For disciplind writing sprints, I’m testing out the Marinara Timer and ZenPen.
Has anyone else spent summertime living life while the internet waited? Do you have good writing productivity tools? Please share your experiences or recommendations in the comments.
And now, to write!
