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From first-time diarists to lifelong notebook enthusiasts, people around the world are jotting down their thoughts in the pandemic.

Stuck indoors during lockdown, Miami resident Sullyng Ceballos missed the clarity that long walks gave her.

“Usually, whenever I’d feel stressed or had a lot of things on my mind, going outside would help drown the thoughts out,” says Ceballos, a 28-year-old attorney, who had begun working from home in early March. Miami had just reported its first Covid-19 cases, and Ceballos was in the high-risk category. Her employers encouraged her to take all precautions.

A couple of weeks into the After, with nowhere to go but the inside of her own head, Ceballos decided to process her emotions on the page instead. She started journaling for the first time. “It was the only way for me to really express myself,”