A Memoir Writing Prompt

It has occurred to me that many writers cannot help but point out either in the text of their book or in the acknowledgements how the pandemic impacted their work.

I hold this thought with also something else I heard/read on a forum: Publishers are not looking for books on the pandemic. Uh, okay.

But it was global, everyone on the planet was affected by it in one way or another. How can one not mention it, at least in passing?

I’m struck by how people can recall exactly where they were when the lockdowns came. At dinner the other night a couple mentioned their favorite breakfast spot in Traverse City—and how since the lockdown they haven’t been back. They had the date memorized: March 20. I can remember what I was doing when the program I was listening to on the radio was interrupted by a special announcement from the Illinois Governor that all schools, restaurants, etc would shut down. I was in the middle of waxing my floor. A bit of spring house cleaning. Good thing—I wouldn’t be leaving the house for months.

A memoir writing prompt: Write about where you were when you heard the news, when the Covid virus became real, had a direct impact on your life. When you realized life as you knew it was about to change. The fear of the unknown.