During a F.U.S.E. (Forum of Undergraduate Student Editors) meeting this week, we talked about mental health and healthy writing practices. It is quite fitting for this period of time. As college students, the feeling of burnout probably hit during the second week of classes. I have no desire to leave the bed sometimes, and other days I have a harder time turning on the computer.
People would think it is a perfect time for writers. We are spending more time indoors or possibly away from others. It seems ideal – a quiet space to focus on what we like to do. In reality, it is more of a misconception that people have. Writers are still human. The work we do can take a mental and even an emotional toll on our health.
Writing is not just the act of dumping words on a digital or physical surface. For us, it is a craft that we try to make as complete as possible. Or sometimes, it is a little exercise for us to do at our own pace.
I heard this a lot over the course of the pandemic, and it is a great message. You should not have to stress yourself over being productive during a time like this. If we can get anything out of the pandemic, it is to take care of your health. Your health compromises many things. Take care of your physical health because that also is correlated to your mental health. It is super hard to get anything done if you are feeling tired or cranky. There is no need to rush yourself into anything right now.
We all have different times when we can create works. Sometimes, people have a set schedule that they use to write with. Others are able to write some of their best works during times of heightened emotions. But during a pandemic, maybe it can be harder to write when we have so much on our minds. Sometimes, we just do not feel inspired to write too.
I do have to say that if you want to write, do not let anything stop you. Just keep writing! Writer’s block is an issue we all face, but we cannot always wait for motivation to find us. Instead, it takes us to get back to the swing of things in order to continue. If the issue is looking for inspiration, there will always be inspiration. You might have to twist it to work for you, and that is where creativity comes in.
Now, it could be that you are inspired by trauma during this time. I will remind you again that you do not have to write about trauma if you do not want to at this time or ever. I talk more about this in my article, “There Can Be Happy Writing.” You should write what you are comfortable writing about. There will be moments where we try challenging our writing, but we have our own boundaries to respect.
It is alright if you are not writing masterpieces during this time. Even outside of the pandemic, writing takes a lot of work. You are working so many gears in your brain to create something that you enjoy while maybe hoping others will enjoy it too. But when you start writing, I hope you enjoy the process. Don’t forget that even the first draft can be still imperfect. It is called a draft because it is one out of many. Eventually, you will find a draft that you resonate with the most, and I hope you find that for yourself!