Writing in normal times is hard work.
Now try finding time to write during a global pandemic and all of your family is now stuck working at home, doing school work at home, and trying to find a way to embrace the togetherness. SO MUCH TOGETHERNESS!
Maybe, you’re like me, a writer and an introvert, and you understand how much being alone helps your creative process and your overall mental health. For me to be my best creative self, I need alone time, and I especially need alone time to write. Fun fact: when I write fiction, I make all kinds of faces and twitch my nose and move around in my chair. I am sure this is hilarious to watch, which is why I like writing when I am alone and no one can see me.
But that hasn’t happened during COVID.
One thing that I have learned as a writer is that I can’t wait for the ideal conditions to write. I can always find excuses to put off writing, and you can wager that our current COVID pandemic has given me plenty of excuses.But I can also find ways to make my writing easier even in less than ideal situations.
5 Ways To Write During COVID:
- Accept the fact that your writing life has changed and change your routine accordingly. I work best in the morning, but my mornings became filled with ZOOM meetings, so I chose to write during my less than ideal times. Sometimes, it was in the afternoon or evening, but I spent even just a few minutes writing something down.
- Set a timer and stick to it. Or set a word count. This is not earth shattering advice, but time limits or word counts give a definite ending to the writing time. With all of the added stress of COVID, our brains do not need us adding to the stress by worrying if we are or are not writing enough. If all you can do right now is 100 words, write a 100 words. If you get antsy or feel the anxiety bubbling up after 10 minutes of writing, then write for 7 minutes. Just set a limit and see what you can write in that time frame.
- Headphones are your best friend. One thing that I established at the beginning of the Stay Home Orders for COVID was that if I have my headphones in then I am busy. This also helps when you need to write. Give your family or friends a visual signal(also explain what the visual signal is first…no assuming that they will get it) so they will know that you are writing. Maybe, your signal is lighting a candle or sitting outside on your patio. Whatever you need to help you minimize the interruptions to the actual writing.
- Don’t write yourself out. When I first started writing, I would sit in my chair and write until I was exhausted and didn’t know what to write next. Rookie mistake. I’d leave the story and either never finish it or try to come back later when I had the energy. That never happened. What I have learned is this: write but not until you’re too tired to pick it back up. When I end my writing session, I know what I will write next. It might be a scene or an idea for a revision, but I always know where it will go next. This helps me keep the writing momentum up, and it keeps me working on a piece so I can finish something.
- If you can’t write, keep reading. When I can’t find the words to write, I read. Reading may be just as difficult during this stressful time, but for me, I am having one of my best reading years. I find books (doesn’t have to be in the same genre that I am writing) that allow me to escape. The more I read, the more I notice, the more creative I feel. Reading helps me remember why I want to write, why I feel like I have something to say to others.
Even though we don’t know when our writing lives might return to normal, I know that we have to write. We also have to be honest with ourselves that our creative power may not be at peak performance, and it is okay. The goal is to write.
How have you made time for writing during COVID?