Working from home this year of Covid-19 has not hurt my writing at all. In fact, it probably helped. Not rushing out of the house in the early morning to commute to my teaching job, or coming home late in the afternoon, trying to get everything done after that—a walk, dinner, shopping—has given my life a pace that is more human, providing space to think things through. I find myself able to set regular times for blogging. I can switch a morning activity to afternoon and the like.

I understand that parents with small children have an opposite reversal of their situation. Now they have their kids home full time and, if they were working from home, have less time to think with a clear head or to ruminate. I hope some have found a new closeness and connection with their kids and their kids’ learning during this time. I really do hope many people have rethought how their lives should feel, perhaps considered a different vocation, taken the time to reflect about our world.

My weekly writing group has shifted over to Zoom without a hitch. I’m quite liking not having to drive a long distance to a person’s home for meetings, and I’m going to have to rethink whether it’s the right group for me if the group ends up meeting in person again. Other groups—such as my dream group—are happy not driving, and we may continue this way, on Zoom, with an in-person meet-up once a month. It’s an interesting difference, those who are driven mad by not having in-the-flesh, face-to-face contact, and those, like me, who find the trade off—not driving, instead seeing people in a virtual, online setting—to be quite reasonable and a good plan for the future.

This was the first year I’ve done a month of writing sprints, writing thousands of words a day, during summer. I find writing sprints to have a kind of magic, pulling from me in an intense way, like having a starting block for a race. The big push and adrenalin of a timed session, in a forum with others around the world, can catalyze dynamic creativity. That type of writing has boosted my productivity and I’m continuing it as a regular practice. Plus, the international forum is fun!

That winds up my reflection on this year’s writing!