Some Answers to the Current Most Common Writer Questions During the Pandemic

photo by Marco Verch

Here are some questions that might currently be on your mind:

1. How do I write when the world is in chaos? 
2. How do I write when my daily routine is destroyed?
3. How do I write when I'm never alone, when someone is constantly needing me, and when I hear "Mom" or "Dad" or "Honey" or "Woof, Woof" a million times a day? 

Can you tell I've been asking myself that last one for the past month? 

I've written before about how we have to allow ourselves some grace during this time. Some of us need to physically heal. Some of us need to deal with anxiety and frustration. But I also thought it important to suggest some ways that you could possibly work writing into your life right now--a couple things that are working for me, and others that I've seen on social media or heard on podcasts. These will work for any work-in-progress or even a new project.

Ideas for Writing Progress During the Pandemic: 

• Write before "they" get up or after "they" go to bed: This is what is currently working for me. For example, I woke up yesterday morning at about 6am and had two glorious hours to work on editing the book I'm trying to indie publish (very soon) (fingers crossed). Even the dog slept by my side while I worked! 
• If screen time works...don't feel guilty: I struggle with this, trust me. My nine-year-old daughter is playing her tablet more than ever before; but honestly, it's the only time that she's not talking to me or making a lot of noise. She has headphones on, and I can't hear anything. It's bliss. (If the dog would only understand this is also quiet time.) If you need a chunk of quiet time, it really is okay to put some headphones on your kiddo and let them watch an hour (or two, three, four (winks)) of YouTube videos of other people playing video games. I read a great article about how all screen time is not the same. You can find that here, if you'd like. 
• Do what you can when you can: It's no secret that one of my favorite writer podcasts is "The Self-Publishing Show" with Mark Dawson and James Blatch. They had a terrific episode, out yesterday, about writing during the pandemic, and Mark had some great ideas for working on your work-in-progress. He mentioned bringing a voice recorder (your phone!) on daily walks and dictating while walking--either words of your manuscript or notes about your characters and plot. If that doesn't work for you, he mentioned bringing a notebook to jot down notes. Then when you do have time to write a few hundred words, you'll have already thought about what you want to write. It's a method that worked for my critique partner, Camille Faye, and how she wrote her first novel, Voodoo Butterfly while also being a stay-at-home mom. You will want to check out that "The Self-Publishing Show" episode, which you can listen to on a podcast app or watch on YouTube here. 
• Connect with other writers through Zoom or Skype or whatever you fancy: Tomorrow, I'm attending a virtual writing retreat with my critique group from noon to 6pm! (You better believe my daughter will be thrilled to hear this when she hears she will get extra tablet time!) My critique group member, Tricia L. Sanders, a cozy mystery writer, did this type of virtual write-in with her mystery writers' group and said we should do it, too. So we are! Look, if Zoom can be used for happy hours and Easter and Passover dinners, then it can be used for a writing retreat. For 30 minutes at the start of the retreat, we'll get online together and talk about our goals and projects. Then on the :00 and :30, we'll sprint or edit for 20 minutes and then record our progress in our private FB group. For the other 10 minutes, before the next sprint/editing session, we'll stretch our legs, snack, or take the dog out. Then back at it again. This will force me to make the time to work on my own stuff. And I'm not sure if my daughter and puppy will last the whole six hours, but let's say they even last half that time--I will feel like I got so much done; and plus, I'll connect with my critique group members!  

I hope one of the ideas above can help you during this unprecedented time of anxiety, isolation, and change. That's the thing. This is unprecedented! So if you're struggling, well, of course, you are. I have had days where I felt on top of the world, and like I've got this--no problem. Then other days, like right before I sat down to write this, where I felt like I could not make it another hour in these conditions, let alone six more weeks (or more if summer camps are closed). 

If you 've been doing something that works, and you're writing and making progress on your projects, please share with us below.

As you've probably heard said so many times before in the past month: We are all in this together.

Margo L. Dill is a children's and young adult author as well as a writing instructor and coach. Her next class for WOW!, Writing a Novel With a Writing Coach, starts on May 1. To sign up, go here. To check out Margo and her books, go here. Sign up to receive the first chapter of her novel and a coupon here. 

Read More »

5 comments covid-19, Margo L. Dill, pandemic, writing inspiration, writing motivation, writing routine, Writing Through Bad Days, writing through difficult times

5 Tips on Writing Through a Difficult Time

In the middle of a difficult time, it can be tremendously painful to write. In fact, writing is often the last thing on my mind when I'm stressed out or handling something difficult. However, I have discovered some things I can do that keep me writing. Sometimes all I can manage are a few pages or a few hundred words, but keeping in touch with my writing self means so much to me during a bad time. So, here's my methods that may help you:

1) Don't let location inhibit you.

I don't know about you, but often times I have this image in my head that I'm supposed to be writing at my grand handmade oak desk facing out my 30 acre backyard in a chilly fall day with the sun shining in through the window. Realistically speaking, that isn't how I write at all. In the midst of a bad day, the best chance for me to write is wherever I'm at. How? Many times, I use an app. The one I use is called "JotterPad." The interface works for me and it syncs up with Google Drive, so my files are saved. I have written far more thanks to this app than if I waited for that perfect moment in the perfect setting.

So, let writing find you wherever you are. Stuff a notebook in the kitchen that you can grab easily. Write by email that you add to throughout the day at work. Write on post it notes at you leave at your desk. Text yourself story scenes.

2) Keep it in sight.

I don't do much of it these days but I do like to handwrite on occasion. Keeping my notebooks in view is my link back to easier days of writing. Often times, I read through these notebooks and it inspires me. If you are blocked, read through past work. I'm not talking about the published stuff. I'm talking about notebooks and files that contain incomplete stories, the handwritten drafts that are practically illegible and the scraps of ideas that you read and can't figure out why it ever inspired you at all.  Keep in touch with your writing and it won't be so unreachable when you are ready to return and you never know, you may just start writing.

3) Journal.

I love to write fiction but I sometimes need to empty my brain. I pull out my journal and just write things out. It's private, it's for me, and it's simply something that helps me process the world around me. If you don't have an official journal, just start typing out your thoughts on some kind of notepad on your computer. You will be surprised the kind of difference this makes and how much it unclogs your brain and relieves stress.

4) Listen to music.

You know what inspired my latest writing session? Listening to music. It was a stormy Sunday night and my mom and I were cooking dinner and we put on music. Usually on Sunday nights I'm fighting the blues badly but I let myself really enjoy the music. I listened. Really listened. When I sat down to relax, I got a spark of inspiration and I went with it. I ended up finishing a story that has plagued me for so long (using my app!) and I'm now in the revision stage. So, put on headphones and put away distractions. Listen to music that just speaks to your soul. And really listen. You may just be surprised at what spark of creativity inspires you!

5) Give yourself a break.

In the midst of a bad time, sometimes you need to give yourself a break. Yes, I'm sure we all know that discipline is one of the most important factors for being a writer. Yet, sometimes we just need a break. Writing will wait. In the meantime, consider reading things outside of your comfort zone. Buy coloring books and crayons at the store and get in touch with your inner child. Do stream of consciousness writing. Bad times can feel like forever, but they do change, even if it's ourselves that change. So my last piece of advice is simple, take it easy on yourself. Writing will be there when you're ready.

How do you write through the bad days? 

Read More »

7 comments Writing Through Bad Days, writing through difficult times