Welcome back to another Writer’s Digest! Before we dive in to today’s topic, we just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has followed We Write Fantasy. Our group of authors have been busy with books, life, and trying to stay afloat in these uncertain times. For some of us, 2020 forced us into a writing hiatus. Others barely slowed down, even if the chaos of this past year (including the first few months of ’21 lol) did its best to keep us under.
Our intention for the rest of this year, is to bring back this blog, no matter what the world throws at us. Because no matter what happens, we’re still writers. We will still create, and continue to develop our craft. Trends continue to change, and we have all been irrevocably changed in different ways. But we are still here. We will do our best to be here for you, too. Which is why we wanted to address something everyone can relate to with this month’s topic:
Morgan Wylie
Author of The Age of Alandria Series
Life during the pandemic has been interesting, lol. The year (2020) was off to a great start: I was motivated, productive, and creative. Even several months into the pandemic and quarantine, I stayed on top of things. We homeschool and work from home normally, so I thought our life wouldn’t be too impacted in that way. But as time went on I realized my writing and creativity began to taper off.
Summer came and without regular schedules and places to go, and connection with people, I found after taking a bit of a break I didn’t want to get back into it. Everything felt “too hard” or “took too much effort”. With the confusing messages, the negativity, and everything else our world was going through, I came to realize it was bringing me down more than I had cared to notice. We felt the loss of an aunt and a long-time family friend (not COVID related) back to back and then winter came. So not only could I not go work at the coffee shop to get out, but now cold weather prevented outside excursions.
My writing suffered. My podcast suffered. My attitude suffered, lol. Finally, I made the decision to push my way back into my writing, to engage my creativity—if not for my own sanity, for those around me. It wasn’t easy at first, bc I had to make time for my writing again, make it a priority. And then something happened… I felt alive again! It’s been a process and I’m still working it out, but I feel myself coming back! I’m getting on top of my health again, and learning to schedule things out in even small blocks of time, and to also have grace for the days when I don’t. Life isn’t yet “normal” and I don’t know when or if it will be in the same way, but for myself and my writing I am determined to create it.
Belle Malory
Author of Descendants Academy
The pandemic (and 2020 in general) has given me undeniable proof that I am so much better off when I shut off the news and don’t pay attention to society. Being nervous, anxious, and worried about things I can’t change doesn’t serve me or my craft. What does serve me is focusing on the things I can control, such as writing, my diet, my home, spending time with my family, etc. In a weird way, 2020 has been a blessing. I got into books/writing in order to escape my chaotic world as a teenager. Reliving that has reenergized a therapeutic and creative energy. I just don’t have the mental space for the negativity anymore. Other than my villians of course 😉
Melissa McShane
Author of The Crown of Tremontane Series
I didn’t think the pandemic had altered my writing or publishing at all. I already don’t get out much, and I had a backlog of books to publish, so I carried on as always. And then I got to the end of the year and looked back, and realized my total writing output was way, way down, and there were long stretches where I hadn’t written anything at all–and I hadn’t noticed. So I feel like my creativity has been affected, like my inspiration has dried up a little. I hope that will change for 2021.
Jennifer Silverwood
Author of Silver Hollow
My publishing process came to an abrupt halt midway through last year, mainly due to a pay cut from my day job. It put a lot of things in perspective to me, but it also reminded me that even if I couldn’t afford to publish books, I could still write. I wrote a lot in 2020, most of which will never be published (trust me, this is a good thing!) A couple of years ago, I might have seen that as a waste. Now, I look at it for what it was: catharsis. Sometimes we have to do what’s best for us, even if that may not be what’s best for our careers. By stripping away all the things I had been worrying over, publishing wise, I rediscovered the joy of writing. Hopefully, I can carry that lesson forward into the rest of 2021.
Melissa Wright
Author of Between Ink & Shadow
I found myself incredibly grateful for a private home office and room to roam outside, but still, finding the emotional energy for creating was tough. That said, I’ve never been more appreciative of the satisfaction writing brings to my life and the friendship of other authors. I’ve been trying to lean into that and away from dwelling on all the things I can’t change and to keep healthy habits as steady as I can.
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