This year, I did nothing and everything. It’s probably an embarrassing confession that many writers struggle with – the lack of free time, the procrastination, any energetic block that hinders one’s productivity in writing.
I have been thinking about writing endlessly, reflecting on my most prolific period.
My return to writing came during the pandemic. My industry slowed down and with its sudden contraction and suspension, I had the luxury of time to retreat from the fast-paced demands of my career. I meditated regularly under a willow tree by the lake and contemplated the whims of life. Ah, this is what it feels like to step off the hamster wheel.
During those days of solitude, I reignited my passion for reading – a pastime deeply rooted in my childhood, escapist tendencies. The pandemic years were a fertile period for creativity (which I jokingly refer to as my renaissance era). Holed up in my library, I drafted a manuscript for a novel, wrote a poetry collection, and invested in my education to take writing more seriously.
I devoured books across genres and hosted a book club with readers across Canada. I interviewed authors about the unpredictable rollercoasters of their journeys. In conversation, they were generous, imparting anecdotes of triumphant breakthroughs and financial hardship as writing professionals. They expressed deep satisfaction in sharing their work with readers and forging that human connection. Their candidness, fires of perseverance and optimism serve as a kindle to my motivation as a storyteller. These mythologies serve as an entrée to dwell within that realm of possibility, to reach for the brass ring of publishing.
In the prologue of Free Food for Millionaires, the Korean American writer Min Jin Lee discusses her late foray into writing after deciding to quit being a lawyer for its burnout hours and chronic stress. At a writing workshop, she felt the most out of place at the lunch banquet table, interrogated and dismissed by her contemporaries for not receiving a scholarship or having the proper literary pedigree. Her critical success is a testament to her resolve to make space for her unique voice; her determination serving as inspiration for other late-bloomer creatives.
As I have long since resumed “real-life adulting,” I bemoan the 9 to 5 grind as an impediment to my creativity, the idyll of my renaissance era hazy, a very distant memory. I confess, I have been marinating in the ink more than I have put the pen to the page. I have read mountains of books, drunk copious amounts of oat milk latte, and filled notebooks with ideas, notes, and half-baked sentences. Though I am not proud of my lethargy, I have made peace with my lack of output.
Since the year is winding down, I am contemplative about my approach to writing in the new year, taking motivation from mentors. No teacher I ever had said, read this book about writing. They said, read. They said, write. They said, research. They said, Do the things that eventually require you to sit up in the chair and tap-tap-tap on the keyboard. Obviously, conveyed with more eloquent words.
In lieu of beating myself up, I gifted myself a pink keyboard with the intention of downloading the good stuff from that source of inspiration. In fact, I wrote said blog post on the pink keyboard. I worry less about whether these drafts will ever see the light of day or be exposed to the eyeballs of a beta reader. Perhaps without spending that formative respite in the ink, there would be no story at all because I lacked the necessary surge of creative energy. Today, I emerge from the depths of the ink, where the stories germinate, readying to create and explode into action.
Vanessa Seneriches received her Bachelor of Applied Arts from The School of Fashion at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) and her post-graduate certificate from the Creative Writing program at the Humber School for Writers. She hosts the #WineDown book club with BooknBrunch, curating diverse literary selections and leading readers through discussions, author Q&A’s, creative workshops, and themed food experiences.
The views and opinions expressed in blog posts are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of all WiT members.
Writers In Trees 