The July–August 2020 issue of Poets & Writers features thirteen quotes by “Authors on Creativity in Quarantine” about how and why they do (or don’t) write during the lockdown. I half agreed with this one: “Writing remains just as and no more difficult than it always has. On bad days, I do not lose myself in my writing. On good days, that doesn’t happen either. Every sentence is a boulder pushed up a hill that does not change in steepness or in height. Some days I have the strength to push; some days I have the strength to lie down and take a nap; never do I know what kind of day it will be” (Novelist Lillian Li). I agree that the nature of writing has not changed for me. Before the pandemic, I wrote every day. During the pandemic, I write every day. Writing is hard work. Some days, words flow more easily than others. But, unlike Li, I keep going. Forcing myself to take a nap would be more effortful than restorative. Doing the work produces the reward. So I stay awake. Every day. For more of my thoughts on writing, see REFLECTIONS.
