How to Write when the World is on Fire

By Rochelle Melander

I’ve spent the last week under the weather, first with the Norovirus, then with a cold. The only benefit to being sick has been my need to rest—and stay offline.

It’s tempting to spend every moment scouring the news, listening to the pundits, seeking signs of hope and a path forward. It’s hard to imagine that taking time to write a story or jot down a poem will matter in the scheme of things. After all, the world is on fire. What good will our words do?

And yet, throughout the centuries, people in challenging political times took up their pens and wrote. I’ve spent the last week scouring my research for Mightier Than the Sword to learn how other writers have written when the world is on fire. Here are a few things I’ve learned:

Find your part and do it.

I’m frustrated because I feel powerless to make a difference. The poet Audre Lorde advocated for women, people of color, and the LBGQTIA community by starting Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press. The novelist Zora Neale Hurston, disappointed by how other creatives in the Harlem Renaissance depicted Black people, worked hard to preserve the stories of Black Americans. Activist Lucy Stone and her husband Henry Blackwell published a feminist newspaper, The Women’s Journal.

Your turn: There are places you can make a difference. Support causes in your local community. Vote. Call your senators and representatives and express your anger.

Know Your Why

It doesn’t have to be complicated or even lofty, but you do need to know why you are working on your project. For 25 years I have edited a devotional periodical. One of my writers checked in about an assignment saying, “The world needs this light now.” Ahh, I thought, she’s connected to her purpose. She knows her why.

Your turn: Write a one-sentence summary of why you write.

Choose One Project

Choose a project that helps you put your why into action. If your why is to entertain and distract people during the most difficult times, then what project will help you do that? If you want to help children survive and thrive, what project will give you the best chance?

Create a Writing Bubble

For years, I’ve recommended writing before consuming media and engaging with your to-do list. Never has this been more important. As the world demands more of our attention, it’s important to be vigilant about setting boundaries around your writing time. Whether you write at the end of the day, after everything has shut down, or before the day even begins, find your bubble. Writers in my accountability groups have used all sorts of tools to help them do this. They recommend:

+Buy and use an internet blocker like Freedom

+Write on a dedicated computer without internet access

+Turn off your computer and haul out the paper and pen

Find Your Lens

The Jewish writer Etty Hillesum kept a diary from 8 March 1941 until 13 October 1942. Some writers have criticized her earliest pages for being self-centered. Give the girl a break. She was coming of age when the world was on fire and her life was threatened. Yet she wrote honestly and openly about her experiences—connecting them to a wider and deeper spiritual purpose. I doubt she would have been able to write with such fervor had she not started from her own place of need. But because she did, her diary reads as real and true.

If you need more support, join the Show Up and Write writing circle. We meet twice a week. Sign up here.

Write Now! Coach Rochelle Melander is an author and ADHD-trained professional certified coach. She’s helped hundreds of people write and publish books. If you’re struggling to start or finish a project, connect with Rochelle to create a personalized plan for overcoming procrastination, dealing with distraction, and staying focused. Book a private consultation: https://writenowcoach.com/consultation/