10 Pandemic Writing Lessons I Want to Remember
1. ‘Only 15 minutes’ is still 15 minutes
Is it ideal to write in quarter-hour bursts? No. Is it pleasant to be interrupted every other sentence or so by remote-school questions? It is not. But is it possible to work this way? It is. Fifteen minutes is long enough to write half a paragraph, edit two sentences, cut four lines of dialogue. It adds up. And it feels great, because it’s stolen time.
2. You can write anywhere
This year, when middle school and my husband’s office and I were all in my house all the time, I wrote in my basement, in the playroom, in the bathroom, in my car. Less than ideal spots, but if I had let myself believe I could work only if I had total silence, complete privacy, and an ergonomic chair, I wouldn’t have written a word. From now on, I know I can write wherever I am.
3. Write when you’re not writing
I spent a lot of time this year baking banana bread and helping with school and listening to flute practice. While I did, I pondered fixes for plot holes and thought up what my characters would do next and figured out what to cut and what would change as a result. Then, when I had time — see number one above — all I had to do was type it up. It meant that when I could finally…
