Writers in isolation: part 2 by Claire Musters

Back on the 11^th, Deborah Jenkins shared a fascinating post about what some of us, writers who currently find ourselves in isolation, have been up to. It seemed to gain a lot of interest, and so I am following it up with another set of writers. For myself, this time has been much more difficult regarding finding headspace for writing (or anything else) due to the kids being at home, helping with online church and dealing with mum’s funeral arrangements. So I have been fascinated, challenged and inspired to hear from other writers, starting with Deborah herself. 

Deborah Jenkins

The very word lockdown intrigues me. There’s a sense of enforced captivity, which we are both attracted and repelled by: it brings us safety (good) at the expense of freedom (bad). This is giving me time I’ve never had before for my novel, which is a huge plus. I am blessed to be at home with a Baptist minister and a cat, both of whom are relatively undemanding (though things do hot up at weekends with video-church). The main minuses, for me, are not being able to teach, meet friends or go to the many beautiful places in this part of Sussex. 

My creativity is helped by mindless tasks that allow my mind to wonder – planting seeds, pottering in the garden. I’m enjoying baking and walking, both of which inspire creativity. I love listening to the radio, watching plays and TV dramas, reading – I’ve just started my first Tracy Chevalier. All these things, as well as being enjoyable also give me ideas for writing.

Once I discovered WhatsApp video chat and Zoom, I enthusiastically booked a string of face- to-face coffees with friends. But too many of these are draining and I’m tailing them off or planning them for the end of the afternoon, after I’ve done my writing. 

My novel is called Braver and is the story of an unlikely friendship between a church minister with a past, a teaching assistant with anxiety and a troubled teenaged boy. The story is about how their involvement with a small church community helps them face their challenges. I got the idea from The Lido by Libby Page, which I devoured. Then I thought – if a swimming pool can bring people together in a novel, why can’t a church? Let’s see!

My tips for others are: 

·       Create a routine even if you don’t stick to it

·       Have a couple of guilt-free days off routine (a weekend)

·       Keep your body, as well as your mind, active

·       Pray.

Liz Carter

I am on the shielded list, which means I am not able to spend a lot of ‘face-to-face’ time with my family, apart from in the garden at six feet away. In some senses this makes it easier to have time for writing – I’m lucky enough to have my own study so am spending a lot of time there! On the minus, I find the lack of human interaction and touch to be very difficult and am often distracted by loneliness and other things.

I’m finding more time for prayer and worship in all of this, which is wonderful, and I’m finding it is sparking my creativity. This Easter has been one of the most profound I can remember because of digging deep out of necessity! I’m used to isolation but this has been a different experience.

Zoom seems to suck many hours from my day, far more than I thought it would – it’s so lovely to catch up with friends but I’m finding I have to schedule Zoom meet ups in my diary because there are so many, and having to prioritise my time just as usual! I’m finding online church to be incredibly sustaining, especially because I’m so often housebound anyway, and don’t usually have the ability to worship with my community.

I’m writing my next non-fiction Christian book, which is about identity and worth, and the content seems more relevant than ever with so much talk about which lives are worth it and which are not in the current crisis. So I’m finding the words flowing at the moment, which is a nice change!

My tips for other writers are: be kind to yourself. It’s an incredibly distracting time and we must not beat ourselves up if we just need to take things slowly or binge watch Netflix all day sometimes. Also, dig deep into God and find that he’s there right in the middle of all of this. And eat chocolate.

Tony Collins

I am fortunate to live in a household of five creatives, in a large Edwardian house in Hastings. I am married to novelist and author Pen Wilcock, a never-ending source of ideas and observations, who has two books coming out this year: Equality is Biblical, in May, and Into the Heart of Advent, in August. Two of Pen’s daughters are professional artists (stonecutters, calligraphers, ceramicists, restorers of religious artifacts); another is making her way as a musician. 

By temperament and preference, we are mostly quiet people. There are plenty of laughs, but by seven The Great Silence descends as we retire to our rooms.

The morning is for writing and emails; the afternoon for carpentry, gardening, walking. We are fortunate to have Alexandra Park over our garden wall, a long, wonderful green incursion into the town.

No matter how strenuously we seek to stay cheerful, the government’s sheer incompetence has shocked us. The fear of widespread economic failure – which edges closer with every spasm of the Dow – is haunting, as none of us earns very much. We have done what we can to stay afloat, especially by choosing to live together. Our garden is given over to a productive orchard, with space for beans and potatoes. But a cold financial wind is rising, and doesn’t enhance creative thinking.

I’m working on a sort of confessional. My provisional title is They’ll Never Read That: How to make mistakes in publishing. I survived in the book world for over 40 years, but by the end you may wonder how. I’ve met a lot of interesting people, whom it is a pleasure to celebrate. 

Carpentry is my escape. To work physically in three dimensions, after years of staring at a screen, is a refuge and a delight.

Pen Wilcock's next book.

Fiona Lloyd

I currently work four days a week for Christians Against Poverty. Working from home ought – in theory – to allow me more time to write, but I’m finding it harder to switch off from work without my regular commute. On the plus side, I’m finding different opportunities to use my writing at work.

I’ve been taking more exercise (not that you’d know it from my waistline) – going out for long walks is a good way to relieve stress. I’ve also taken up knitting again, which gives me a sense of achievement.

I much prefer to be physically present with someone when I’m talking to them, so too many Google Hangouts etc can be an added source of stress (although I think it’s great that such things exist). On the other hand, my church women’s group is now running on WhatsApp, and they’ve agreed I can do a writing workshop with them next week. We’re going to be writing our own psalms, and I’m feeling very excited about that!

As I said earlier, I’m doing some writing for work, which is new for me. I also have a book review to write for next month. My writing’s taken a bit of a back seat over the last few months due to various life changes, so my top tips would be to look for the new opportunities in your current situation (and remember that they don’t have to be huge projects)...and also to forgive yourself when you don’t get as much written as you’d hoped. 

Claire Dunn (who writes as C.F. Dunn)

I’m gardening my way through lockdown. Here in the south-west, a stone’s throw from the sea, I’m fighting weeds and sticky clay while battling with the next scene for my historical novel, acutely aware I’m fortunate to be able to do so.

Lockdown has removed many everyday distractions; I’m on social media less and relish the quiet. The sea’s growl upon the shore has replaced the roar of motorbikes racing along the coast road.

There are practical issues to tackle as well as personal. Like many, buying food is proving tricky, but is nothing compared to the plight of my husband recovering from Covid-19 alone on the other side of the country.

Nature will not be rushed. Getting close up and personal with my garden is one of the best ways I know to focus on what matters. It’s here that I do my thinking: cogitate life’s mysteries, pray, compose and plot. I plant for the future in the belief that there will be one and it is a poignant reminder that our forebears did much the same through plague and pandemic. 

I think of writing in much the same way – I might never know the outcome my words might have, but I sow them just the same.

Like my novel, the kitchen garden is new. It is clumpy in places, thin in others and can do with a good dollop of manure to improve the soil. Given time and nurturing, it will become rich and giving, much as any work in progress will flourish with care. It can seem futile at the beginning, but persistence pays off, planting the seedlings of ideas, feeding them, honing and pruning where judicious. The fruit of our labours is the book, the painting, the song, but the harvest is for another to gather.

I am currently editing Degrees of Affinity, the second book in The Tarnished Crown trilogy set during the turbulent years of the Wars of the Roses. Published by Lion Fiction, the first book – Wheel of Fortune – is due for release in July, 2020.

Lucy Rycroft

A couple of weeks before lockdown, I made the biggest decision of my writing career to date: to focus solely on building my blog, rather than freelance work or traditional publishing. It was where God had been leading me for a while, but eventually I gave in, and invested in an intensive (and expensive) blogging business course. It was a huge leap of faith, but I felt enormous peace about it.

And then, just as I was excited to get going, schools closed and suddenly I had all four of our children home, needing some kind of education and entertainment.

Having less time to write could have been frustrating, but I’ve tried to see this time for what it is: an unprecedented (ha!) opportunity to spend extra time with my children. Right from the start, I designated a couple of points in the day for ‘Mummy’s Work Time’ – these have been taken well, and it’s been great for my kids to see what mum does.

A real positive of this time has been learning to do a lot in a short space of time – I’m pretty focused for the random hour or 45-minute slots I get, because I have to be!

By God’s grace, I’ve been able to publish more blog posts than usual in this period, focusing on areas such as coping with school closures and making Easter special when we can’t go out. My blog posts on stay-at-home date ideas and family board games have gone down well: always relevant, but particularly well-received at the moment.

My life hasn’t slowed down, despite not being able to go out, but I’ve grabbed inspiration on the go, from actual living with my family, conversations with friends and what people are saying on social media. Staying in touch through technology with others has been a lifeline: a Zoom group of British bloggers all doing the same course as me has been a particular encouragement. 

My advice to other writers is: take each day as it comes. Writing can be a wonderful outlet – but, like any creative task, it can easily become a source of stress. We don’t need any more of that right now!

Lucy's recently published children's book.

Abby King

I’ve moved in with my parents during the lockdown, so on the plus side I don’t have any shopping or cooking to worry about! But I’ve found that my brain is really foggy so it’s taking me longer to think things through and form ideas that are somewhat coherent. However, I was really fortunate to have a coaching call with Mark Buchanan and that inspired me to keep writing, even when it’s hard.

I’ve got back into reading and listening podcasts now my brain is clearing slightly. I’m particularly loving Adorning the Dark, by Andrew Peterson, and Kate Bowler’s social media/podcasts. I was also really encouraged by a zoom call I had with Claire Musters, Liz Carter and Lucy Rycroft. Spurred on by a post by Amy Boucher Pye, we have recently formed an online group for mutual support and encouragement. It was lovely to talk through where we are at with our writing and life in general, and we had a beautiful time. 

Back in my ‘normal’ life, I teach three days a week, and write the other two days, but in these times it feels like I’m on duty more than ever in my teaching role. So, when school holidays end next week, I need to find a rhythm that works for teaching and writing.

I’m currently working on my book proposal, tentatively title Living in the Struggle. The content seems more timely than ever, although writing the overview seems harder than ever too. Lots of people have commented that I should be able to get my writing done with all this extra free time I’ve got. But I’ve found it helpful to take it slow and be kind to myself while living in the midst of this huge upheaval. I’m trying to hold onto my identity as a beloved child of God, and that doesn’t change whether I write or not.

PS If anyone else would like to pull together another article hearing from more writers, there were others who indicated they would be happy to be involved (simply start a new Facebook discussion thread and I'm sure you will get plenty of volunteers).

Claire is a freelance writer, speaker and editor, mum to two gorgeous children, pastor’s wife and worship leader. Her books include Taking off the mask: daring to be the person God created you to be, Cover to Cover: Ezekiel A prophet for all times, Cover to Cover: 1–3 John Walking in the truth, Cover to Cover: David: A man after God's own heart, Insight Into Managing Conflict, Insight Into Self-acceptance and Insight Into Burnout. Her latest edition to the Insight Guides series, An Insight into Shame, was published in May 2019 and she has just completed writing another Cover to Cover on Exodus as well as a devotional on disappointment and loss (due to be published this May). She is also writing a book on marriage alongside her husband. She also writes Bible study notes and magazine articles. To find out more about her, please visit www.clairemusters.com  and @CMusters on Twitter.