Writing During a Quarantine
I started writing my first real fiction piece in January of 2017, right around my birthday. It seems a lifetime ago.
Of course now, in the middle of the COVID-19 quarantine, everything seems a long time ago. It's decent weather outside, so people (including me) are going for walks and starting to poke around their gardens. And I have time to do stuff to do around the house that I've put off for a while. I am making a conscious effort NOT to watch so much TV. I'm afraid my brain will rot away.
So I've been trying to write. I'm working on a new story called "Ghosts," inspired by "It's a Wonderful Life," "The Five People You Meet in Heaven," and my own life. Without going to work and having other things to do, I have cranked the last few chapters our very fast. It's crazy how much I've accomplished without those distractions.
Of course, I can find other things to distract me! I know I haven't cleaned the fridge in a while, so it must get done now. Why yes, I would like to use up those chocolate chips and make cookies I can't share. Writing with ADHD is a unique challenge on a good day.
I read somewhere that Sir Isaac Newton developed his theory of gravity while under quarantine from the black plague. Oddly, I get it. Scraping the walls of my house (so I can paint when it's warmer) gives my brain plenty of time to wander and has led to some good ideas. Probably some terrible ones, too, but we won't talk about those.
I have a new found appreciation for writers of the past. I wonder if Charles Dickens or Jane Austen struggled with "nothing better to do" like I am at the moment? And if it made their work better or worse?
Of course now, in the middle of the COVID-19 quarantine, everything seems a long time ago. It's decent weather outside, so people (including me) are going for walks and starting to poke around their gardens. And I have time to do stuff to do around the house that I've put off for a while. I am making a conscious effort NOT to watch so much TV. I'm afraid my brain will rot away.
So I've been trying to write. I'm working on a new story called "Ghosts," inspired by "It's a Wonderful Life," "The Five People You Meet in Heaven," and my own life. Without going to work and having other things to do, I have cranked the last few chapters our very fast. It's crazy how much I've accomplished without those distractions.
Of course, I can find other things to distract me! I know I haven't cleaned the fridge in a while, so it must get done now. Why yes, I would like to use up those chocolate chips and make cookies I can't share. Writing with ADHD is a unique challenge on a good day.
I read somewhere that Sir Isaac Newton developed his theory of gravity while under quarantine from the black plague. Oddly, I get it. Scraping the walls of my house (so I can paint when it's warmer) gives my brain plenty of time to wander and has led to some good ideas. Probably some terrible ones, too, but we won't talk about those.
I have a new found appreciation for writers of the past. I wonder if Charles Dickens or Jane Austen struggled with "nothing better to do" like I am at the moment? And if it made their work better or worse?
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