Beginning in March, my life became a long string of upheaval, including a global pandemic, a personal spiritual crisis, and a family death. I couldn’t write—nor did I want to, which deeply troubled me.
Writers don’t live in a vacuum. We create within the context of the everyday, and happenings in our own homes, as well as the world outside, can affect our rhythm. Sometimes normalcy transforms into a beast that knocks us flat on our backs. When a loved one dies, we face job loss, or a friend hurts us, the creative flow trickles to a stop. Motivation, consistency, and energy evaporate.
Maybe you’re in similar straits and wondering whether you can ever write again—or if you should even try. How do you recover when unexpected events hit you so hard that you’re left with jagged pieces of the present and future?
I asked myself (and my Story Embers teammates) these questions and came up with five approaches writers can take depending on their specific situations. These suggestions won’t fix the brokenness around us, but hopefully they’ll ease the struggle to be productive during it.
Continue reading this article on the Story Embers Website.
R. J. Sheffler 