Writers on lockdown

I was interviewed by author CR Dudley on the website of her independent press, Orchid’s Lantern, about being a writer in the current lockdown. She asked some fascinating questions, and it was a lot of fun. Please have a read and, while you are there, check out the books in their shop, including their latest, ‘Vast: Stories of Mind, Soul and Consciousness in a Technological Age’.

In the weeks since, time seems to have sped up, and to be honest, things are beginning to blur. It is now ten weeks since I was sent home from my day job to work from home. I’m beginning to see the corrosive effect of being home all the time on my writing habits. I’m chipping away at an idea for a new novel, but I have no desire to sit and write prose in the evenings when I have spent the entire day at the same desk, in the same room, writing computer code.

I miss the opportunities to write in a coffee shop, with the ritual of a double macchiato to get me into the groove, especially on my way into work. I have more time in lockdown, but less variety of spaces to work in. I’ve also swapped my laptop for a work desktop, which means it’s harder to go to another location. Noticing what is going wrong is a start. Stagnation creeps up on you. I need to come up with a plan of action.