It’s been a long 10 years

When I was a kid, one of my favorite shows was called The Angry Beavers. There was one episode where Norbert and Daggett, the titular beavers, try to stay up all night to spite their mother since they’d finally moved out. In ends up becoming a competition between the two of them to see who can stay awake longer and they watch the clock, but every time they look it’s midnight. Turns out the clock had stopped, and when the brothers find out, they rush outside:

I feel like that perfectly embodies what 2020 felt like to me. I spent the whole year watching the clock, waiting for this pandemic to be over, and then suddenly it was 2021. We’re in the future, again, but unfortunately it’s simply 2020 part 2, at least so far. Hopefully the vaccine will soon mean things can at least begin to change things. I won’t say allow us to return to normal, because I think the whole world is going to have to find a new normal after all this. Yet with the new year comes new hope, and perhaps its time to get back to writing.

I haven’t read a book since March of 2020, the longest I’ve ever gone without reading a book. The only reading I was really doing was doomscrolling through twitter. I haven’t written a thing since my review of Horizon: Zero Dawn back in May of last year. I’ve been trying to be kind to myself, my brain has been in survival mode. Just trying to get through the days leaves my brain so exhausted that there’s no energy left for creative pursuits. I didn’t even realize that last year marked 10 years since I began this blog, an anniversary I’d hoped to mark with something special like putting a short story or novel excerpt here. Now going on year 11 I’m going to use this blog for the exact same reason I started it 10 years ago.

To write. Not even to write well, just write. I’ll throw stuff against the wall and see what sticks. Some of it will be crap, some will be good, but the important thing is I’ll be writing again. I won’t make the mistake I’ve made in the past by committing to write on any particular schedule, I’ll just write as much as I can.

That’s it. That’s the whole post. If you’re one of my regular readers and you’re still following this blog, feel free to drop by the comments and let me know how you’re doing.