As writers, it is our nature to go within to create. We become solitary, alone in our world of thoughts and possibilities. Before we commit our ideas to paper and laptop, we invest in our external world of work, our children’s activities, a trip to the movies, dinners with friends, shopping, and traveling, so we are satiated and ripe with stimulation and have removed all distractions to sustain our focus. We make a cup of coffee, clear our desk, close our door, and stare at our empty literary canvas for five minutes before anxiety forces us to click on the solitaire game on our desktop and play until the right words arrive. But what happens when our outside world shrinks to the confines of our home, and our computer becomes the only virtual door to our family, friends, community, and the rest of the world? What do we do when the enforced stillness and isolation, only a monk would crave, reduces our lives to a mere 6 feet? How do we write now? One word at a time.
We can use this difficult time as a teaching tool for patience, compassion, and selflessness. Or utilize the gift of time to reflect, finish a story, or start a new one. The last 19 months revealed a new vision of humanity and a greater need to produce uplifting stories that examine and display a human strength and tenacity we never thought possible. To our surprise, we realize we have cultivated an innate perseverance that can be transferred to the page. Our characters are fortified with our strength and empowered with the mindfulness of our words. We have evolved. We are more, not less.
We now embrace gratitude for the simplest things. Seeing someone’s smile instead of a mask means we are becoming whole again. Going to a bookstore to buy a book and using our fingers to turn pages carries a new joy versus sliding a finger over an electronic screen. The opportunity and the grace we are given to share what is inside of us are valued and cherished. Each word we draw from our minds appears more colorful, like leaves during foliage season. We want to take full advantage of the things we took for granted, like breath. We are grateful to use our breath to breathe life into fictional beings who entertain and teach us the importance of resiliency and we are deeply humbled to manifest three paragraphs we hope will inspire.
Write now.
