Writing During a Time of Global Crisis

by Enisa Haines

Image courtesy of: giphy

COVID-19 rushed into the world without warning and life as we knew it is now scrambled. No more going to the shops, unless it's for food. No more crowding an arena to watch a concert. No more getting together with friends in a cafe. Our new normal is isolation. At work. Out on the street. At home.

That's a huge change for most. For writers? Every time we're writing we're in a room alone with our computers, isolated in a make-believe world dreamed up by our imagination. But writing in isolation by choice is very different to being isolated because you're ordered to be.

Some writers are fearless and relishing this quarantine time, churning out the words in numbers they never contemplated before. A big cheer to them.

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Other writers, with partners and children home full-time, their finances under stress and the writing time of before gone, are struggling with focus, with the motivation to write. Because it's hard, stressful, they procrastinate, watching movies on Netflix or pulling out the overgrowth of weeds in the garden or keeping the oven busy baking bread. And the stories waiting to be written don't get written.

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So how do we get back to writing again during this time of global crisis? It's a different journey for every one of us and what works for some may not work for others, but what works for me is time for myself. Time I get to do what I want to do to keep my inner self happy because keeping my inner self happy brings out my creativity.

I go for a walk every day and look at my surroundings. That house on the street corner may be perfect for my main character in my current WIP. The river in the distance may be where I set an attempted murder scene.

Image: Author's own

I do colouring in. Amazing how much a pretty coloured inspirational quote can keep you motivated.

Image: Author's own

I keep in touch with friends and family via Social Media. Sharing my experiences, reading of others' experiences, helps keep the words flowing, and new stories are a twinkle in my imagination.

I recognise and acknowledge the feelings that steer me away from writing. Then I think about the story and my need to write the words. And I write.

How are you coping with isolation? Has COVID-19 affected your writing? 


 Love to love: all the good people helping the sick, the vulnerable and the elderly during this COVID-19 pandemic

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Love to laugh: Facebook posts showing people in isolation doing the craziest ways to keep themselves occupied.

Love to learn: that in times of crisis I am strong.