All this time at home should be a gift to a Writer, but I’ve discovered the opposite is true. Inspiration comes from the outside world. A chance encounter with a stranger while waiting in a line. A funny mix-up with a cashier. Meeting a friend unexpectedly and remembering the time when…you get the picture.

A pandemic is not the best time to have those moments. Zoom is too scheduled. Interactions with strangers are down to a minimum. And cashiers aren’t laughing right now. They’re scared and we’ve all been scared.

I know it’s made my Writing suffer. I keep writing, but it’s more muscle-memory than elegant prose.

Maybe years from now a great novel about living during a pandemic will emerge, but right now it’s too new, too raw. In the meantime, what is a writer to do? My answer, so far, has been to try something new.

Dust off an old ambition. Polish up a moldering skill. Add something new to the lexicon. I always wanted to learn calligraphy. I’m still just a beginner but learning a new vocabulary and some history behind the art has given me a ton of new ideas for stories. I’m also taking a dance class and hope to add roller skating to my new bag of tricks.

Lots of books on writing will tell you that the best thing for a writer is to have a routine, sit at a desk and write every day. This time has taught me that the opposite is true. Change it up, get outside and remember there’s more to being a writer than writing.