47 comments

Contemporary Creative Nonfiction

March 1st, 2020

Sunday

Dear diary,

It’s a new month, a new week, a new beginning.

Today was the first day of 10th grade. It was as expected, and about as normal as it gets when you are a 10th grader. The lessons get tougher, the teachers get stricter, and the eight-hour school day just results in a headache and a slowly increasing urge to lie down somewhere, anywhere.

My friends and I are as nonchalant about this year as we are about every year we have had. We just go with whatever happens next.

I have homework to do, so later then.

******

March 3rd, 2020

Tuesday

Dear diary,

Today was absolutely awful.

Our school had promised to take us to a movie today. But they cancelled it last minute. Why, you ask? They claim it was because of the rains today, but we all know what it’s really about. It’s about that virus with the weird name miles away in China.

Why are they being so annoying? It is in China, for God’s sakes. Another country, like I said, miles away. It’s not like it’s going to suddenly kill us all. We’ll never get our childhood back. Why are they doing this?

******

March 5th, 2020

Thursday

Dear diary,

Today is the last day of school for a while.

They said that they are closing the school for two weeks, as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus. It seems serious. They don’t want it to spread any further.

I guess it’s good that they’re doing this. It does mean that I get a few days of holiday, of rest, even though they’ve given tons of homework to make up for it. Still, holidays are always fun.

******

March 11th, 2020

Wednesday

Dear diary,

The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic today.

I guess it’s more of a big deal than I had originally anticipated. That would be an understatement. It is a humongous deal. The whole world is slowly going into a lockdown. I didn’t think that I would live through something as historic as this, something I’ve only heard of happening in history books.

But this is real life.

******

March 14th, 2020

Saturday

Dear diary,

I had music class today. It was online.

It certainly is weird singing to a screen. It gets worse, what with all the endless internet problems, the lags, the stuck screens and the occasional unmuted microphones.

But there is no way now, seeing that things are only going downhill.

******

March 16th, 2020

Monday

Dear diary,

My school sent an email today. They are planning to start up online classes soon.

I don’t know how I feel about that. They did a test run today, and I didn’t like it very much. I screamed into the laptop until my throat was sore, only to realize the laptop had an audio problem and I needed headphones.

How much am I actually going to be able to learn through a screen? What is going to stop me from scrolling through Instagram or watching videos on YouTube? Nothing, absolutely nothing. I might as well be just sitting at home all day.

But wait, I am.

******

March 20th, 2020

Friday

Dear diary,

I cried today. For no reason at all.

Maybe I am feeling lonely. That’s probably it. The reason I cried was because I felt lonely in a house full of people. Yes, that’s the reason. Maybe I miss my friends. Maybe I miss the fresh air, the crowds, and the trees. I miss the freaking trees.

I feel like the most ungrateful child in the world, a person who has everything and still isn’t satisfied. And that feeling isn’t the nicest one, mind you.

******

March 22nd, 2020

Sunday

Dear diary,

I drew today. Just a sunset, a convenient practice for people like me who love to draw but never get the time.

I mixed all the colours together and felt the squishy paint on the brush as I wildly slashed about the page, trying to get something close to a sunset. I must say, I was quite proud with the results. It is good to know that I haven’t lost my artistic ability just yet.

******

March 25th, 2020

Wednesday

Dear diary,

I had a Zoom call with my friends today. It was a heck load of fun.

I didn’t realize how much I had missed talking to people other than my family members. I didn’t realize how much I had missed the corny jokes, the odd anecdote and the endless laughter. I haven’t laughed as hard or as much in a long time. And I hope to do so soon.

******

March 29th, 2020

Sunday

Dear diary,

School started today. It was as expected.

The teachers are still figuring out. We’re still figuring it out. Not just the technology aspect of it, but the emotional aspect of it too, the very aspect that we’re actually doing this. We’re doing school, online. We are being educated without actually being in school.

I don’t think we’ll even get the occasional holiday for rain anymore. I think now that they’ve realized that there is an alternative, we’ll just have school every day, come rain or shine. I don’t know how I feel about that. I imagine future me will have a lot of colourful words to describe it.

******

March 31st, 2020

Tuesday

Dear diary,

This is it. The last day of the most uneventful month ever. Not.

Let’s recap, shall we? First, we see our main protagonist go to school and complain about the teachers and the hard syllabus. Then we see her complain about her precious trip being cancelled. Then we see her complain about her not being able to go outside. Then she does the most unexpected thing, she complains about her online classes.

Then something incredible happens. She slowly begins to master the art of spending all her free time into something considerably productive. She begins to smile more, and you know how her face just lights up like a thousand suns when that happens. And when she smiles more, everyone around her smiles more too. It still hurts her at weird times, the fact that she’s stuck at home. But when she realizes that the whole world is facing exactly the same thing, her smile returns.

Because she knows she’s not alone. And that feeling is the best one she’s had in a while.

******

April 15, 2021 18:16

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47 comments

Veda Vivek💎
00:36 Apr 23, 2021

You just basically wrote about how quartine life is like. I have never read a story that I can relate to so much. Beautiful writing, in-depth words. Great job!😀👍

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Writer Maniac
03:34 Apr 23, 2021

Thank you so much, I really appreciate it!

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14:51 Apr 17, 2021

Eeep this was so good! The diary format had the same 2nd-person effects of making it feel like you were the MC, and, as Ivy said, this is so...”true yet heavy”. I love the last line, thought. Light endings to a semi-sad story are always my fav :D Great job!

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Writer Maniac
14:53 Apr 17, 2021

Thank you so much, I really appreciate the comment! Could you please read 'Forget-Me-Not' and leave some feedback on it? I would really appreciate it, thanks :)

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Riya 🌺
05:26 Apr 16, 2021

I really enjoyed reading this because it felt like I was reading about my own past before the pandemic. The whole story was so relatable and I absolutely loooove the ending because right now all we need is assurance that we'll get through this and we're not alone.

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Writer Maniac
05:59 Apr 16, 2021

Thank you so much, I'm glad you could relate to it!

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Riya 🌺
06:37 Apr 16, 2021

:)

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Sasha Senaratne
18:34 Apr 20, 2021

Well done, really enjoyed this! The diary format worked superbly, and I loved this sentence: "The reason I cried was because I felt lonely in a house full of people." Such truth in that! Keep up the fine work.

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Writer Maniac
02:50 Apr 21, 2021

Thank you so much, I really appreciate it! I would love some feedback on 'Forget-Me-Not' :)

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Kristin Neubauer
17:34 Apr 20, 2021

I loved this - I don’t know many students, so this was a really interesting and important into a young person’s perspective during the pandemic. A valuable piece.

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Writer Maniac
17:39 Apr 20, 2021

Thank you so much, I really appreciate it!

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Arya ...
07:19 Apr 20, 2021

The simple way we all went through this change last May. Highly relatable story. 💛 Also. Please read my story based on the same prompt. Thank you. ❤

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Writer Maniac
11:41 Apr 20, 2021

Thank you, I'll read your story soon!

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Carrie O'Keefe
18:16 Apr 19, 2021

I like the way you wrote that as a diary.

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Writer Maniac
02:45 Apr 20, 2021

Thank you!

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Izzie Chan
15:34 Apr 19, 2021

I think we can all relate to this story, haha. The diary format makes it feel a lot more personal to the main character, which is something I tend to look for when I read first and second person stories. There were a few parts that seemed a bit choppy: 1. "My friends and I are as nonchalant about this year as we are about every year we have had. We just go with whatever happens next." You changed from past tense to present tense here. I struggle with tensing sometimes, and I understand why you used present rather than past, but it would b...

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Writer Maniac
15:48 Apr 19, 2021

Thank you so much for the detailed feedback, I'll be sure to look into it! I would love some feedback on 'Forget-Me-Not' if you haven't read it yet :)

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Izzie Chan
16:23 Apr 19, 2021

No problem! I actually did read 'Forget-Me-Not' a while back and left a comment. It was such a beautifully written story, I can see why you're proud of it! :)

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Writer Maniac
17:25 Apr 19, 2021

Aww thank you, it's just really hard to keep track, it's a story I really love to share with everyone :)

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Izzie Chan
19:11 Apr 19, 2021

:)

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Izzie Chan
16:24 Apr 19, 2021

Also, I noticed you've been getting downvoted a ton recently, do you want me to upvote you a bit? I wouldn't mind :)

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Writer Maniac
17:25 Apr 19, 2021

If it's alright with you, I would really appreciate it, thanks :)

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Izzie Chan
19:10 Apr 19, 2021

Okay, no problem! It's terrible that everyone's being downvoted so much.

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Cookie Carla🍪
13:17 Apr 16, 2021

Congrats!! Varsha Vimal asked me to shout you out in my bio so I did. She also said that you are one of the best authors on Reedsy...

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Writer Maniac
14:20 Apr 16, 2021

Aww thank her from my side :) This is so unexpected and honestly so sweet!

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Phoenix LaRue
02:57 Apr 16, 2021

Excellent job, Mania! This story was perfect for that particular prompt. I loved the diary format because somehow, it makes the emotions stronger and easier to identify with. The entry that touched me the most was March 20th; the main character's sadness was so palpable in that one. I was so glad to see her start feeling better with the sunset and Zoom call, though. And the recap is probably my favorite part of the story, particularly the final line. It wraps things up so beautifully. You seem to have a real talent for that!

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Writer Maniac
03:05 Apr 16, 2021

Aww thank you so much, I really appreciate it! It's heavily inspired by my real life, so it was quite easy to connect with the emotions and really explore the change over time :)

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Cookie Carla🍪
19:00 Apr 15, 2021

This story was so relatable it feels like I totally understand what she was going through. I liked it!!! Amazing job

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Writer Maniac
02:45 Apr 16, 2021

Aww thank you so much, I'm glad you liked it!

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Jacob Rainey
16:53 Apr 18, 2021

That was a cool story and relatable. I like the way it was laid out in a diary. May I ask, if you wouldn’t mind reading my new short story “11 Final Beats”. From what I’ve read/seen of you. You seem like an expert and I would very much appreciate to hear other people’s opinions on my story👍. Thank you and that was a very similar story to how it was for me.

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Writer Maniac
17:18 Apr 18, 2021

Aww thank you for the compliment, I can't believe that people have such good opinions of me :) I'll be sure to check out your story as soon as possible. Could you please check out 'Forget-Me-Not' and leave some feedback on it too?

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Jacob Rainey
18:06 Apr 18, 2021

Absolutely. Will do.

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03:04 Apr 17, 2021

Super relatable. The diary format is interesting and it was executed well. The emotions were great and and I love the ending. Great job!

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Writer Maniac
03:13 Apr 17, 2021

Thank you so much! Would you mind upvoting me a bit, I'm at 1000 now :(

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03:15 Apr 17, 2021

Np :) Gosh, the downvoters are back at it again. You don’t deserve that. Ofc I’ll upvote you! Would you mind looking at my latest story? You give helpful feedback and I would like to hear your input :)

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Writer Maniac
05:59 Apr 17, 2021

Yeah for sure, I'll check it out, thanks a lot for your help :)

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12:50 Apr 17, 2021

Np :)

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14:00 Apr 16, 2021

This is very heartfelt and beautiful. I loved the diary entry formatting...it really brought forth the character's emotions. It seemed so realistic :) Great job!

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Writer Maniac
14:20 Apr 16, 2021

Thank you so much, I really appreciate it! Could you maybe upvote me a bit, I just lost about 100 points right now :(

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14:23 Apr 16, 2021

Sure, I'll upvote you! If you want, I would love it if you could check out my story.

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Writer Maniac
14:28 Apr 16, 2021

Yeah I'll do that, thanks a lot :)

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Unknown User
22:00 Apr 15, 2021

<removed by user>

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Writer Maniac
02:44 Apr 16, 2021

Aww thank you so much, I really appreciate it! This is heavily inspired from my real life :)

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J.A. Blackmore
03:35 May 07, 2021

I really love this, I'm glad there's at least one short story here that makes us know that we're all going through this and that we're not along. BTW, can you go read my short story: Their Choice?

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Writer Maniac
06:00 May 07, 2021

Thank you! I'm really busy right now, but I'll be sure to read it as soon as I can :)

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Arwen Dove
02:23 Apr 29, 2021

Great job!

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Writer Maniac
02:36 Apr 29, 2021

Thank you!

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