Quarantined at the Keyboard:
An Evening of Playing with Writing Prompts
with Fran Severn

Who’da thunk it? When we started Q@K last year, we thought it was a necessary but lighthearted diversion, a way for those of us feeling a bit isolated to get together – at least virtually – and have a little online fun. I thought we’d be back to ‘normal’ by the fall. This sort of insightful prediction is the reason why I have never won the lottery or done well at the racetrack. I certainly never thought that the witty intro to the monthly writing prompts would be outdated and in need of updating.

But here we are. On the plus side we are down to the last 12 packs of toilet paper we scrambled to buy last March. (The bruises suffered when the elderly pensioner rammed me with her walker in an effort to grab that last package of Charmin’ have long since healed…) We have mastered new technologies, becoming as fluent in ZOOM-ese as the average 8-year-old. The money we’ve saved in commuting now goes to the monthly fees for a dozen or so streaming services, although our lofty plans to watch Metropolitan Opera every night has downgraded to binge-watching Are You Being Served. We’ve started (and stopped) new hobbies, learned to bake sourdough, finished the repairs, renovations, and redecoration projects that we planned for years. WFH is now used as both a description and a curse for our new lifestyle. And while we planned to start a fitness program and emerge from the cocoon of quarantine with a new body and level of fitness, we’ve more often succumbed to the lure of the comfort foods of pizza, mac and cheese, and – thank God it’s Girl Scout cookie time – Thin Mints! We have a collection of fashionable face masks for every social and business occasion, while our work wardrobe is divided into ‘daily’ jeans and sweat pants and, well, more ‘daily’ jeans and sweat pants.

And while the introduction of the vaccine means we might be getting ahead of this virus, staying close to home is still the recommended standard routine. Which means that our free writing time remains. Some of us have used this interlude to begin new projects. We’ve researched and written, taken notes and conducted interviews, scoured YouTube and the Internet for relevant documentaries. We’ve written outlines, first drafts, second drafts, scenes, dialogs, notes, chapters. Maybe even have finished a book or two.

Yet we’re still feeling… alone. And flat. And in need of fresh ideas and inspiration. And company!

So here we are for another go-round of Quarantined at the Keyboard, 2021 Edition! Embrace your inner Marx Brothers, Patrick McManus, Ayn Rand, Barbara Kingsolver or Alice Walker and let your imagination loose.

Once registered, a link will be emailed to you containing Fran's excellent writing prompts free for download!  Write during the week before and share your writing at this fantastic monthly meet up!  For writers of all genres.

Thursday, May 20th
7:30-9 PM

Click here to register for this event.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez