when you’re scared

Last month a child in Toronto asked, “What do you do when you’re scared?” I turned my response into a letter, which you can read (or listen to me read) over at the A Book A Day blog:

Life does get scary sometimes and there’s no shame in being afraid. Everyone feels fear—kids, teenagers, and grownups, too. Lately things have been happening in our country that make me upset. I have anxiety, which means I worry a lot. I always tell kids that “What if…?” is how all good stories begin. But when I’m feeling anxious, asking “What if…?” over and over again just makes me more afraid because I tend to focus only on the bad things that could happen.

I haven’t been blogging much lately. By the time I finish doing “all the things,” I don’t have anything left to say. Today I have nothing written on my calendar but the To Do list still wants my attention. We’ve had 90+ degree weather for over a week so I’m mostly laying low at home with the a/c on. I sent my poetry collection off to my editor last week so I’m going to take a break from writing poems—until next month when I need to write 20 poems for my novel-in-verse. I have an Authors Guild webinar on Monday and another 100+ kid lit event on Friday. On the days in between, I’m thinking about driving out to Evanston. Traveling during the pandemic causes a lot of anxiety but I think there’s a smart and safe way to do it. And if I get scared along the way, I’ll just look for the helpers…