Months before the pandemic began, I left my job in international education to pursue a career as a traveling writer. As a U.S. American who previously studied and lived in China, I packed a backpack and a carry-on suitcase and traveled to India in January 2020. Writing is what helped me survive lockdown in India in 2020 and now as India faces a brutal new COVID wave. Though I already maintained a process of writing 2,000 words a day, this daily commitment helped me as I quarantined in a hostel within a country I was visiting for the first time.
As a survivor of severe childhood abuse, being locked up for months wasn’t new to me. Writing was my coping skill then and it was my coping skill through the isolation of the pandemic and its multiple waves. With or without lockdown, I must navigate the impacts of complex PTSD, chronic pain and disorders, and mental health on a daily basis. As someone who ran away from her abusive family at the age of 18, I don’t have any family to turn to in the face of tragedy or emergency. Instead, I turn to my pen or keyboard. However, I am thankful for the communities (whether they are study abroad or writing related) that have given me wings within even a temporary cage. As my movement was restricted, I joined a virtual writing collective (The Quarantine Train), and my ability to write, edit, and publish at heightened levels increased with the time, space, and community support. Over the course of the past year and a half, I have written two manuscripts (one in poetry and another in creative nonfiction) and am preparing to query them.
In addition to my personal writing projects, I have also dedicated myself to collaborating with an artist a month (3 photographers, visual artist, financial advisor, etc) while prioritizing collaborating with locals. These collaborations have been immensely rewarding as I am able to support my local communities, learn about other creative mediums, and challenge myself creatively. Finally, I initiated a free monthly newsletter that details my experiences living abroad, recent publications/performances, and gives behind-the-scenes insight into my writing processes: https://mailchi.mp/e21fc1ad2356/anesce
While it has been terrifyingly isolating, writing has been my solace through the pandemic and will continue to be my cherished escape regardless of whatever happens next in life.
