Writing Through Difficult Times: Ways to Incorporate Writing into Your Life Today

Life is looking a bit different these days. Offices, schools, and streets across the world are empty as billions follow shelter-in-place or lockdown orders in response to COVID-19. Organizations, schools, and families are developing new ways to work, educate, and live under such strange and frightening circumstances. All of us grapple with our new realities, trying to remain safe and calm in this period of social distancing and isolation.

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A few weeks ago, as social distancing measures began to take effect, many social media users and journalists were quick to point out that this period presented an opportunity for creative work and enhanced productivity. Many noted that Shakespeare may have written King Lear and Macbeth while isolated during an outbreak of the bubonic plague. Others pointed out that Emily Dickinson produced great poetry from a state of extended, self-imposed isolation in her room in Amherst, Massachusetts. Recent Google queries for “working from home productivity” have soared.

According to the internet, this is your chance to complete your novel, play, or great work of philosophy. As society is driven to a halt by a novel virus, it’s now your moment to be more productive, not less.

In my opinion, these times are stressful enough. I don’t support putting added pressure on yourself to complete a huge creative project or produce some totally groundbreaking work. If this helps you get through your quarantine, that’s wonderful -- but it’s not a necessity. If you come out of quarantine without a MacArthur Genius Grant, society won’t fault you. I promise. Staying home and doing your part to stop the spread of coronavirus are the best contributions you can make right now.

However, the productivity mavens on Twitter do have one thing right: this a good time to write. In this trying, uncertain time, writing can be whatever you need it to be right now -- a de-stressor, a therapy, a distraction, a space to collect your thoughts. As many of us are cooped up with family members or roommates to an unusual degree, writing can offer a version of privacy. With our usual routines disrupted, writing can provide a measure of stability and regularity to daily life.

If this sounds at all appealing to you, here are some practices to try:

- Follow a daily prompt. I’ve been following Suleika Jaouad’s The Isolation Journals project, a month-long series of prompts emailed to you each day this April. We’re six days in now, but you can sign up at any time. There are also lots of great prompt-generators online too, which you can find here: Random Word Generator, Cool Generator, and Story Shack.

- Write a note to a friend or family member. This could be an email, a text message, a card, a letter -- whatever it is, just write something to someone you care about. If you can, go beyond logistics and mundane updates. Ask or answer a meaningful question.

- Journal. Some people journal daily, others monthly or yearly. Find a frequency that works for you and stay consistent.

- Keep a notepad with you and write down random thoughts throughout the day. Finished writing products are overrated -- those small, unconnected flashes of wisdom or observation can be just as noteworthy, even if you never share them. You can always repurpose these notes in longer-form pieces later.

- Write a list. Not necessarily a to-do list. Here are some ideas: write a list of all the green-colored things you can see from where you’re sitting. Or a list of every sound you hear at the moment. Or a list of all the things you’re most excited to experience once this period ends. If you like, you can turn this list into a “litany,” a poem that features a series or continuously repeats a phrase.

- Write a letter to yourself to open when this experience is over, or a year from now -- the date you set doesn’t matter. Imagine where you might be and how you might be feeling. Describe how you feel now, and offer advice to your future self.

- Create blackout poetry. This is probably the easiest idea on this list. Find a magazine or a book you don’t mind marking up, and use a dark marker to block out any words or phrases you please, leaving anything that you find interesting or evocative. The words that are left on the page form a poem! If you’re feeling inspired, try adding a drawing or visual to accompany your poem. Check out this example by Austin Kleon:

- Go multimedia. Are you an amateur photographer? Find a few of your favorite photos, and write funny or thought-provoking captions for them. Write a particularly observant Instagram caption. If you like to draw, create a little cartoon or illustrated short story. If you’re musically inclined, try writing a song. Writing is writing -- it doesn’t matter what form or medium it takes.

What are some other ways you like to write?