Writing in the Midst of the Storm

Lately, I’ve had more than one fellow writer ask me, “How can you write these days, when the world feels so chaotic..?”  It’s true that there are seasons when life feels like a storm, and the blank page is one more demand you can’t possibly meet. Whether in times of global chaos, political strife or personal upheaval, writing under difficult circumstances can feel impossible. Your focus splinters. Your energy drains. The work you care about most slips to the margins.

And yet, this is often when writing matters most.

We don’t write only when conditions are perfect. In fact, when times are tough, we often need writing even more. Writing, at its best, is not only an escape from chaos but a way of making meaning inside it—a way of steadying ourselves when the world feels unpredictable.

So, if you’re living through a difficult or uncertain time, or just feeling unmoored by the general state of chaos, here are a few ideas to keep you going.

Start Small
When life feels overwhelming, large goals can paralyze us. So, instead of thinking about finishing a chapter or completing a project, just focus on the next small step: a paragraph, a single scene, a small revision. Walter Mosley writes about how it’s more important to focus on consistency and creativity than productivity. See if you can show up for twenty minutes. Re-read a scene and add two new sentences. Capture the tiniest conversation between characters. Progress doesn’t have to be dramatic but rather can be quiet and incremental. Showing up really is is what matters most.

Create a Place—or a Ritual
Along the same lines, you don’t need a perfect place to write, or three hours of uninterrupted silence. When I was finishing my first novel, as a mother of two young children, I learned to grab what little time I had and anchor it with my favorite corner chair, a particular notebook, a cup of tea. I’d get up at 5:30 to have just twenty minutes before my youngest awoke.  I’d read a few lines from the same book of poetry before beginning. . .  Small rituals like this can train the mind to focus. Over time, that place or gesture becomes a refuge, a doorway into the work.  Also, writing at the same time each day—even for just fifteen or twenty minutes—creates a rhythm the body comes to trust. It reminds you that amid the noise and uncertainty, there is still one small place where you can return.

Lower the Bar—Then Step Over It
Perfectionism thrives on difficult days. It whispers that if you can’t write gorgeously, you should not even try. But the truth is simpler: imperfect words/paragraphs/scenes are the only ones that lead to better ones. So give yourself permission to write badly, slowly, unevenly, privately, imperfectly. You don’t need to write for an audience.  You can revise later. For now, the work is simply to get something down.

Write Toward What Feels Alive
Sometimes when life gets crazy, the project you planned to work on no longer feels urgent. That’s okay. In unsettled times, follow the energy. Write the scene or idea that won’t leave you alone. Write the question that keeps you awake at night. Write the thing you’re afraid to say. Urgency is a powerful guide.

Stay Connected
Writing can feel lonely, especially during hard seasons. A trusted friend, a regular writing group, or a simple accountability partner can make an enormous difference. Sometimes all it takes is someone asking, “Did you write today?” to help you return to the page.

Be Gentle with Yourself
There will be days when you can’t show up; or days when you do show up, but just cannot write. Days when life asks more than you can give. This does not mean you have failed. It means you are human.

Progress in difficult times is rarely linear. It comes in fits and starts, in small victories and in quiet persistence. What matters is not really how much you produce, but that you keep a thread connected to your work—to the part of you that makes meaning, that pays attention, that tells the truth.

Even in chaos, that thread can hold. And it has value.