Writing Through the Storm

Photo credit: Tumisu on Pixabay

 

In the past, I have talked about how writing was the one thing I turned to when I was about to lose all hope for humanity. It was my saving grace when everything was falling apart. It was the only thing that helped me to retain my sanity.

 

But at the same time, it can be hard to write when everything really is falling apart.

 

It’s hard to get excited about a story or hold on to that spark that helped me to start writing an article or book when I can't get excited about things in real life.

 

That’s exactly what I have been dealing with this week. Some things have happened that have made it hard for me to keep going with the writing work I have been doing. Because I have deadlines, I have kept plodding forward, doing what needs to be done so that I can meet those deadlines in time. With other things, however, it’s not so easy. I have been asking myself questions like “What’s the point of even revising that book or short story?” or “What’s the point of even writing that story?”

 

The answer, of course, is to get those things done. To finish revising that book and those short stories, to finish writing that story. To finish editing that other book and finish writing that other book.

 

The point is to keep writing, because writing is the one and only thing that I still have any control over. I can write or I can not write. That choice is still up to me. What I do during all of this mess is STILL up to me! 

 

I love to write, and that’s why I write.

 

Writing is my chance to escape from the horrors of this world to, well, the horrors of another world. Or if I’m writing a children’s story, science fiction, or fantasy, then the writing is an escape to somewhere else – somewhere better.

 

I don’t need to have a reason to write.

 

I don’t need permission to write.

 

I don’t need any validation to write.

 

It’s okay to write even when things get hard. It’s okay to write even if there is no home for the things that we write. It’s okay to keep writing even when the world is in chaos.

 

The act of writing itself is all that matters.

 

Another reminder that I have used to help me get through the emotions that have swarmed around in me all week is that I will be happy when I finish work on something. It’s always a great feeling to finish writing something. Finishing what I start writing – or revising or editing – offers a HUGE sense of accomplishment other acts of completion do not. At the end of the day, it will be one more thing that I will have ready to send out somewhere, whenever that destination is found.

 

I finished writing this thing. I finished revising this book. On to the next one!

 

My very long list of writing projects reminds me that there is more work waiting to be done. I just need to finish the CURRENT writing project first before I can tackle the next one.

 

These are all of the reminders that I have told myself as I struggled with trying to focus on writing instead of focusing on my feelings. Even if those things to write and revise don’t get published, they still need to be written and revised. I need to finish work on them. They need to be done.

 

I might find a new publisher for those books later. I might succeed in my efforts to self-publish my children’s books. Things might work out okay in the future. Who knows?

 

I am upset about things that have happened now, and they make me feel like it is The End. But it’s not The End. Not yet. My journey is not over; it’s just taking a detour.

 

I have managed to get some work done this week in spite of feeling so down about everything. I have worked on revisions for two short stories that I plan to submit, and I worked on my deadlines. I have also written this blog post. I have also written in my journal, using it to vent and moan about everything. That helped a lot!

 

But I am starting to feel like showing up for the writing acting like everything is okay when everything is NOT okay is being fake. It’s pasting a smile on my face when instead I am actually frowning. I don’t want that fake sense of positivity to seep into my writing. (Maybe it helps that I write horror!) I don’t want to be fake with people and I don’t want it to look like I am ignoring the bad things going on by shining light on only the good things.

 

But maybe that is what we need. We need more good things. There are already so many bad things, and I don’t want to add to that. Yes, I can write about the bad things, but in a more constructive way instead of being a huge downer about them. And maybe I can write about the bad things in a way that would make readers want to create change or take action against them.

 

That is one solution to coping with adversity: Putting it to a positive or inspirational use in the writing. It’s certainly challenged me to try to look at them differently and see how I can turn those bad things into good things.

 

All of this has reminded me of one of my favorite quotes from Doctor Who: “The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don’t always soften the bad things, but vice versa, the bad things don’t always spoil the good things and make them unimportant.”

 

As long as the writing is important to me, it’s worth it to keep at it in spite of the bad things.

 

Just yell “Plot twist!” and carry on.