The old saying of “Misery loves company,” fits what I’m hearing from my writing buddies these days. Weirdly, this “shelter at home,” that should have given us uninterrupted time, instead has led us to procrastination – to distraction with Zoom calls, old movies, jigsaw puzzles, etc. – and to willy-nilly tossing of any ideas that come our way. The books we’re reading don’t count as diversions but are actually a productive part of the writer’s job description. We don’t feel guilty for the books – just for the other stuff!
I’ll start with a tongue-in-cheek wish list jingle for an end to this sluggishness that may have affected more than just writers during this pandemic and end with a couple of things that actually have worked for me.
A writing godmother seems my due,
or at the very least, a genie or two.
My cache of ideas with wonderful wishes
just waits around for a few wand swishes.
I need WD* – 40 to unstick my mind
when these ideas refuse to unwind,
Give me a search-and-find robot that doesn’t mutter
for the manuscript lost down under all my clutter,
or a great new market in utmost haste
for this great idea that is going to waste.
How about a program that will click and save
the 2 AM idea that hits my brainwave,
and most of all, send an editor’s call,
“Could you write for us this fall?”
* (Writer’s Drops)
In reality, a few things have worked for me. (1) In an accidental serendipity, four writer friends from New Orleans included me in their email because I share a first name with one of them, and I became included in their Zoom critique group. There’s something about other people who are also overcoming their corona lethargy that has energized me – not to mention the final question for each meeting, “Are you going to have something to look at for our next meeting?”
(2) I’ve given myself permission to back off the big stuff and tackle small projects – a new kind of verse or a review of an old piece pulled out of the drawer.
(3) In the end, all my wished for magic would be well and good, but I think the only thing that has real possibilities is putting my seat in that chair and addressing the computer or the long legal pad!
So whether your passion is writing or tiddlywinks, my advice is to connect with friends, give yourself a little slack, and eventually get back to work.