How to Keep Writing When the World is On Fire
The answer? Put the worry in the poem (er, Medium piece).
As writers, we all have our go-to themes. Topics from our lived experiences that are both unique enough and universal enough to resonate with readers. For example, I write a lot about mothering. And birth. And loss. A few years ago, I wrote a whole Master’s thesis about them. Now I’m here on Medium, writing about them again.
I write about them to connect with others who may need to read that they’re not alone. I write about them to remind myself that I, too, am not alone.
I write to remind myself that I, too, am not alone.
But can I still write about motherhood when the world is on fire? Literally. The West Coast of the US is burning. Before that, Australia was burning. Riots are raging across the US. There’s a would-be dictator in the most powerful office on the planet. Over a million people have died because of COVID, and the rest of the world is either holed up at home or screaming about not wearing a mask.
Things are bad.
So how do I sit here, comfortably drinking a cup of coffee in my Berlin apartment, and write about motherhood and birth and loss? Do my personal issues become less important in the face of…
