The Strange Teachings of COVID-19
By: Alison Acheson
Tags: Writing, Inspiration, Covid 19, Isolation, Creativity

If the first principle of being a writer is to Pay Attention, then this year of COVID-19 has been a most excellent teacher of this piece of craft.

Whether you write speculative fiction or contemporary realism, poetry or stage-plays, there has been much to absorb from this past year, and its dubious “gift” of “interesting times.”

Those empty streets — and Paying Attention to the World

At the most intense points of lockdown, we experienced empty streets. If you live in an urban setting, the emptiness was profound — and may still be in some places. Even if you never ventured out from where you live or were unable to, so long as you have a window, it was impossible to ignore — visually, aurally, and olfactorily, too. All that clean air! And in the worst of those weeks, the myriad of dinner smells. Bread baking! Who knew we could do this?

At close range, walking the street, seeing chain stores boarded with giant sheets of plywood, a rare lone car passing down the street, the odd empty bus, weeks later with one or two masked passengers, the feeling was apocalyptic.

But then we would hear reports of clearer waters and more water-life in the canals of Venice. (Tales of dolphins were just that, it turns out, but still good to think about more fish and swans cruising about.)

The planet was subdued, more than it has been for so long, and there was a certain quiet we may never hear again. Outside the windows, birds were louder than usual, and their chirping and chatter continued to sound through the days; altogether these have been experiences new and foreign to us, and memories we now have.

As writers such times are invaluable. While we like to think we have active imagination that can conjure from nothing, even fiction writers bring experiential material to their work. Verisimilitude — the building of fictional reality — grows from experience. Imagination grows from experience.

Isolation

Isolation is both the offering and the bane of the writing life. When there is an ease to applying words to paper or screen, or when deep in thought about a problematic passage, or when needing down time — household chores, for instance, while mulling plot — isolation is just fine, even desirable. But when the writing process is not smooth, with ideas and plot hiding behind corners or running away, or when the business side, the marketing and flogging of work, is elusive — at such times, isolation becomes too much to bear. We have now — collectively — experienced isolation in ways we have not for generations.

Shortly after our initial period of lockdown, a publisher made an offer on a series of picture books I’d been working on for a long time. I was thrilled, especially when I spoke for an hour with the editor, and realized her vision for the work was truly in line with mine, and even beyond. Then, just weeks later, and about to sign final documents, the deal suddenly fell through, with COVID cited as reason. Such moments are when isolation hits.

Again, as writers, after we’ve allowed ourselves to come to pieces, to grieve, we can pull back and recognize the universal in our experiences. Like a “method” actor, we can claim the emotions, and explore them.

What are our emotional, mental, intellectual, spiritual, and physical reactions to disappointment? to being alone? to being lonely? to a sense of ‘missing out’? to a shared and community sense of missing out?

Add to your own list of what you might want to explore, or what you need to for the sake of your character/s. Now…how can we use this in our work?

Daily evidence of change

For those wise enough to keep a daily journal though this time, a quick review of those jotted thoughts will reveal personal and public growth. This has been a time of tension — the type of tension we aim to achieve in our stories. This is an opportunity to unpack it as such, and examine. Break it down to bite-sized pieces (which is how we record daily, without looking back to previous words, and without knowledge of what will follow), and try to understand how this is analogous in our story-telling.

What happens to a character when some impediment is not only not set aside, but is intensified…then ramped up yet again? In what state does it leave a character? Angry — possibly a sense of being punished? Or accepting? And if so, what ameliorates the ability to “accept”? What is the context? Did the character actively create such? How?

Stories

All around us are stories that explode assumptions: an estranged couple who cannot discuss a grocery list without arguing, decide to take their children for a summer COVID-dictated camping trip, and discover that under duress, they can be beyond civil with each other — to the point of enjoying time together; an aging person who has never wanted a dog, takes on a rescue pet in order to have a reason to walk outside his home, and falls a little in love; someone who was not to leave their home somehow contracted the illness, leaving another with misgivings about their relationship… How has this illness changed us? Or brought forward the latent?

Character has been, and is being, revealed. In all its shapes and depths. Have you been taking notes? Especially when humans surprise you? This is what creates Story. And then that brings us to our selves…

‘Paying Attention’ to the Self — Imagination grows from experience

Possibly the biggest challenge of this past year, as a writer, is being aware of what it takes to feed our spirits. Contrary to how it appears when we are sitting plucking away at a keyboard, this work does not materialize from nothingness. This enforced hibernation should not find us sleeping.

Lack of experiences

It is exactly this — lack of experiences — that is what we need to be most aware of. Writers require story germs and plot fuel. So when we are in extreme lockdown, and even partial, we should actively and daily seek out new experiences.

Make reading a top priority

A mix of genres can open doors and windows. Reading outside the areas in which you write expands your own work. As we have gone through periods of library closure, for those of us who most connect with hard-copy books, this has been a challenge. Those little neighborhood libraries, in which people create some covered shelter to place and share books, have been a boon. But if you have not been able to leave your home, there are still e-books. We may have had to read in ways that we are not happiest, but reading is an irreplaceable means to soul-feeding.

New Music

Seeking out new music, or new-to-you, is another path to new experiences. Set aside some time to think of music you haven’t listened to in a long time, or bands you’ve meant to spend time with, and haven’t been able to. Research genres of music you are drawn to, and find new artists. On social media, request suggestions from friends; most people are delighted to share favorites.

Museums and galleries

All over the world, museums and galleries have opened virtual doors in response to these time; explore them. Type into your search bar…and there they are. It’s significant to do this with the same mind you would approach if you were there in person. Except you can do it with a coffee, hot in hand. Have a pen and paper handy to jot notes and ideas. Plunge in, take your time, and enjoy.

Other art forms

Other forms of art edify the writer. Now is a good time to explore visual art — there are books and DVDs for how to paint or draw, and there are online classes. There are even online dance classes. Ot it may be time to learn to play the piano, dusty in the corner, or your abandoned adolescent trumpet.

Movement

Whether it be the dance mentioned above, or yoga stretching, or any form of exercise, to move is integral to writing and thought. You know this from when you are feeling blocked and you go for a walk, and within minutes, story ideas are beginning to form in your mind. There are things we need to remind ourselves of — even post a note to your self!

Move. Laugh. Sing. And Write.

As a writer

While you are out in the world, or looking from your window, pay attention to your own self, and pay attention to the world as a writer, in multi-dimension. If you listen and see, even the COVID-world is ready to hand you Story.