2 Ways to Keep Writing in Times of Crisis

From Art Made From Books. Find it on Amazon.com.

I have struggled for the past few days to come up with a brilliant topic for my next blog post. My struggle stems from living inside a whirling gyre of obligations that require my immediate and undivided attention.

Or, at least, that is what it seems to be.

But rather than fight "block" that often accompanies one or more life crises, I decided I would provide two ways to use your times of crisis to fuel your writing.

1) Write when you feel least like writing. How many times have you come across articles describing the multitude of "types" among writers? Are you a plotter or pantser? Are you a midnight writer, early riser, or mid-day muse? Do you write alone in a quiet organized area, or do you venture out to scribble while on a crowded train into the city?

Crisis doesn't care about your comfort zone. In fact, crisis requires that you step out of your comfort zone and complete tasks sans your comforts.

So, instead of waiting . . . and waiting . . . and waiting . . . and becoming more anxious about the fact that your perfect conditions for writing are too far out of reach, just start writing. Keep a writing instrument and something to write on with you at all times. And just start writing.

By calling upon yourself to do something in a time of crisis or in less than ideal conditions, you will not only improve your abilities to perform the task, you will quite possibly find that you gain a different perspective and understanding of the task at hand.

What better way to develop an exciting plot twist than to use your own life's plot twist as a catalyst?

2) Find ways to make writing part of the solution. For many young and novice writers, writing can, at first, seem to be part of the problem. What I mean by this is, writers sometimes see their writing practice as a problem to be solved, something 'other' that must be delicately folded into the otherwise normal aspects of the life they already possess.

When crises arise, even experienced writers may be tempted to put their writing on the back-burner, unable to justify fitting their writing habit into the day-to-day of managing difficult and threatening situations.

But if writing is your love, your passion, and your sanity, find ways to make writing a part of navigating and overcoming crises. Maybe the answer is submitting to trade magazines and trying your hand at freelance work. Perhaps writing a policy note or program evaluation note relevant to a job opportunity is the answer. You may even find that your crisis and your response to the crisis are excellent fodder for a personal essay or book. Write a proposal and see what hits.

Facing crises should not mean temporarily putting aside our paints, our pens, our dancing shoes, our music, or whatever activities we, for whatever reason, deem as impractical to finding appropriate solutions. These are the times when we need to harness our creativity and make use of our passions.


If you are going through some difficult times in your life, don't give up on the things that make you happy. The things that give you joy make enduring crises worth the struggle. 

Hang in there and happy writing!