You know what? It hasn’t really changed. But, do you also know what? It has.
Before the pandemic was established, I had visited the British Columbia Archives, where I had done as much research (involving furiously writing notes by hand) that I could cram in during my two-day stay in Victoria. I would walk back to the James Bay Inn after my research day, have dinner, my head swimming in facts, my right hand unable to write another jot, satisfied in my having gathered as much information as I possibly could in the time allotted. I took pleasant evening walks along Dallas Road, and through James Bay, in the city I grew up in, and miss very much. In the back of my mind, I thought, if this coronavirus gets any more serious, it may be awhile before I can do this. So it became a trip, not only of gathering as much material as I could before starting writing a new book, but also of taking in old haunts and seeing sights from my childhood. I took photos and made peace with the possibility I wouldn’t be back in Victoria for some time, not only for research, but to walk the streets of my youth.
Here I am three months later, having written about 15,000 words, knowing I’ll need to do more in-person research at the archives before this book can be completed, but knowing I am on the road to getting there. I’ll add more to that word count today, but I know I’ll feel an odd juxtaposition at the end of having done it. It’ll be a sense of satisfaction from having moved forward, but a somewhat empty feeling in not knowing when it will be out there. Writing is a solitary activity at the best of times, but it feels even more so now. I mean, when will people read this material I’m pounding out on my MacBook Air keyboard? Am I just writing into a vacuum? The sense of accomplishment of a day’s writing is tempered by the thought that the machinery that will get this book read has slowed down considerably, that even though my solitary existence as a writer has not changed much, the world beyond my home office window has.
So sitting down to my laptop and motivating myself to write has taken on a different dimension. What I’ve been telling myself is that I must have faith. I’ve got to have faith that I will emerge from this disruptive time with as prepared a project (or several prepared projects) as I can. It may take more time, but if there’s one gift I can see from this, is that I have realized just how valuable having time to write is.
Time to make the most of it.
Here I go…
