Life has changed, at least for the time being. Most of us are now social distancing, perhaps even isolating. And if you’re like me, you’ve been keeping such frequent tabs on what’s happening that it seems as if the Coronavirus has blotted out everything else.
The resulting flood of news definitely helps to keep us informed. But that can also be traumatizing. When terrorists flew planes into The World Trade Center’s Twin Towers in Lower Manhattan, the nonstop TV coverage reinforced the horror to the point that a lot of us felt like we were experiencing an endlessly looping PTSD flashback.
Unlike the 9/11 attacks, this crisis is a moving target that has impacted not just our psyches, but our daily lives. It has also left many with unexpected time on our hands. If you fall into that category, I would suggest that instead of sitting glued to every single Coronavirus update, you turn to writing.
You might think it would be difficult to focus on your writing during a crisis, but it turns out that writing during a crisis can provide you with welcome distraction. I speak from experience. When my mom suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in 1999, I moved to San Francisco to help care for her. Eight-hour caretaking shifts don’t exactly allow for magazine freelancing, which I had been doing for some ten years at that point, so I was lucky to get a ghostwriting contract. One problem. The book, which would wind up becoming a New York Times bestseller, was due in ten weeks.
I quickly discovered that writing during a crisis, by far the biggest crisis of my life, actually provided a reprieve that allowed me to function even better when I was with Mom. When I submerged into the writing, everything else melted away. That break allowed my fight-or-flight instincts to stand down, giving me the energy to stand up to whatever the following day brought. I would experience the same thing while caring for my dad in the days before his death as I finalized passages on what would turn out to be the second national bestseller I’d ghostwritten .
So these days, to keep myself sane, I’m not just operating as a writing coach or using the time to work on my Incubation Press website and lineup of self-publishing services. I’m writing. Since shoulder replacement surgery put me behind on the blogging front, I started there. As soon as I’ve amassed a big enough inventory of posts, I’ll turn my attention to the two books about writing and self-publishing I’ve been trying to pump out. I might even start playing with that children’s book series I’ve been noodling for the last couple of decades. It’s time. And writing during a crisis—during this crisis—will help balance me mentally and emotionally.
I would urge you to pick up a pen or let your fingers wander over your keyboard. Do you have a project you’re in the middle of or an idea you want to explore? Maybe you’ve always wanted to write but, for whatever reason, have never gotten around to it. Then make the most of the gift of time you’ve just been given. I’m here if you need help.
We will all have plenty of challenges to overcome in the days and weeks that follow. I wish you well and hope that you jump into or fall back on your writing to help get you through. Take care of yourself and stay safe.
Scary times!