Writing Prompts to Help You Keep Calm and Fight Anxiety

In some ways, I was already preparing for COVID-19 and I didn’t even know it. A self-proclaimed germaphobe, I already had hand sanitizer in every handbag and stashed everywhere in my house. I already washed my hands obsessively. I’ve been working from home since June. And, whenever possible, I was already opting for going for walks outside instead of on the treadmill at the gym.

I was also already using writing as a way to calm my anxiety.

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7 Things Writers Can Do During the Coronavirus Crisis

This isn’t the post I’d planned to write for today. This isn’t the post I wanted to write for today. To be honest, I wanted to pretend the Coronavirus crisis wasn’t happening— not because I’m a bury my head in the sand kind of girl but because I’m dealing with so much trauma and grief in my personal life right now for reasons that have nothing to do with COVID-19 that the idea of dealing with all that and worrying about a global health pandemic seemed more than I could bear.

But as the founder of See Jane Write it is my responsibility to show up. I’m not a doctor. I’m not an official from the CDC. I can’t answer your questions about the intricacies of Coronavirus. Like you, I’m just out here washing my hands, practicing social distancing as much as possible, and trying not to touch my face. (No, I’m not hoarding toilet paper.) But I can tell you how I think we as writers can try to make the best of a horrible situation.

Here are 7 things writers can do during the Coronavirus crisis.

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Member of the Month: Tawanna Jones

When Tawanna Jones first joined the See Jane Write Collective I knew she’d be a stand-out member. She was clear on her writing and blogging goals and she dove into our members-only resource library to learn what she needed to accomplish those goals.

When See Jane Write launched its partnership with Reckon Women, Tawanna was one of the first people to submit an essay to be published on AL.com, an essay that told the story of her struggle with depression and how she has overcome it.

Recently, Tawanna launched a new inspirational website and blog, Rise Up and Soar, and on March 14 she will be speaking at Motherhood: The Remix, a conference to be hosted by board-certified psychiatrist Dr. Leesha Ellis-Cox in Birmingham, Alabama.

I’m proud to present the See Jane Write Member of the Month for March, Tawanna Jones.

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How to Finally Accomplish Your BIG Writing Goal

Last year I decided that my fitness goal for 2020 would be to walk for exercise every day for 366 consecutive days. So far, I’ve stuck with this despite having a medical procedure in January and outpatient surgery just last week. On February 26, I had surgery that morning and still went for a walk that afternoon.

Am I saying you should follow in my footsteps and walk around your neighborhood while doped up on Percocet? Of course not! I recognize and accept that I’m a crazy person. But I am saying you should be deeply committed to your goals and to your success and not just interested in it.

Though walking every day is a fitness goal, doing so for the past two months has taught me a lot about what it will take to accomplish my writing goals, too.

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Are you a writer or a blogger?

Are you a writer or just a blogger?

I Googled this question the other day after watching an old YouTube video by Ianthia Smith on this topic.

Ianthia is a news reporter turned lifestyle blogger and in the video, she interviewed her former boss who has followed a similar path.

She shared that when she quit her reporting job to blog many of her peers looked down on her for that decision. Why would leave her journalism to be “just a blogger,” they wondered.

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