Creativity in the time of COVID

[Addi]

So this is what prompted this post. I teach at a university, and now that classes have been canceled for the semester, the expectation from our department is that it would be 'easier' for scholars to write out their research papers and books.

I am finding it impossible to find the will to write.

Since some of my favorite authors and fans of theirs are in this club, I was wondering, how are y'all faring in the apocalypse?

If you are writing, how are you motivating yourself?

Do you have thoughts about the changes wrought in your mental life by the changes in our physical access to the world outside, even as we are asked (in some parts of the world) to huddle in with our loved ones, young and old, big and small?

[Harveen]

Addi wrote: "So this is what prompted this post. I teach at a university, and now that classes have been canceled for the semester, the expectation from our department is that it would be 'easier' for scholars ..."

I have actually been unemployed for a couple of months now so I've really had a chance to work through this kind of issue - at the start, I felt like I just had more time to stare at the same page without adding anything to it.

I've found that trying to continue with my day as normally as possible and not forcing myself to write in that extra time I now have helps a lot with motivation to write. For me personally, it's as simple as that. Not forcing myself to write means I actually do end up using that extra time I have in the day.

Also doing other activities throughout the day or evening you don't often get the chance to do that take your mind completely off the piece of work that you're trying to write. That's probably a more general writing tip that you can use at a normal non-lockdown time but it still helps even now.

Getting out of the house for maybe half an hour or so every couple of days helps too. Since we can still do that in this lockdown, I would suggest it and not for your necessities shopping, just walk or drive around aimlessly for a bit to shake off that fatigue of being in the house. If you're in self-isolation or don't want to go outside unnecessarily, if you have a garden or balcony spend some time there without your work, if you don't have that at the very least spend some time outside whatever type of building you live in.

One last tip I have is going back to your original notes where you set up everything for whatever piece of work you're writing and try to get in that headspace you were in when planning it out. I find that especially helps with any academic writing, going back to the original plans gives a fresh spark of inspiration and motivation.