Keep Calm and Carry on Writing!

This is not only a scary time for all of us, but also a very constricting one, with so many of the things we love to do suddenly off the agenda: holidays, going out to eat, drink or be entertained; even meeting our friends.

But there is at least one thing that I love to do that I can keep doing no matter how stringent the restrictions get – writing! Not just in isolation either. As readers of this blog may know, I’m a member of several writers’ groups, and it was a great blow when one by one they had to stop meeting because of coronavirus. However, there is life after lockdown! Three of those groups have found ways to carry on, writing at more or less the same time each week as before, and then sharing what they have written, either by e-mail or in one case using Zoom to hold a virtual meeting in cyberspace. And everyone is furiously keeping in touch by e-mail and WhatsApp. It lends a comforting air of positivity and normality to such a negative and abnormal time, and reminds me that we are going to get through this. How lucky we are to have the internet. If the pandemic had happened thirty years ago, none of this would have been possible.

It’s occurred to me that this is also a time of opportunity for those who have always fancied creative writing but never got round to it. You have no excuse now not to have a go! Join a virtual writing group – it doesn’t matter where you live, as you won’t be going anywhere. Indeed, if anyone would like to get in touch (comment on this post or email me at tim.e.taylor@talk21.com), I’d be happy to point them at one or more of the writing groups I’m in myself. And perhaps this is a good time to remind people of the invitation I posted last year for people to share some of their work on this blog – it’s still open! Scroll down to ‘Come on Over or click on this link: https://timwordsblog.wordpress.com/2019/08/30/come-on-over/

So – one reason to be cheerful, at least. Happy writing!