By now, you’ve heard the story. The legend, really. Shakespeare wrote the masterpiece of King Lear at the height of the Black Plague. And, if you’re like me, this legend rang in your ear when the pandemic first began. So many of us (at least those with the privilege of doing so) were in the middle of a lockdown. The early days and nights of COVID19. It was a frightening time where questions and anxiety swirled about mixed with a strange sense of paralysis.
What were we to do? Where were we going? How long was this going to last. These emotions were especially prevalent for many in the creative industry. Throughout my social media feeds I can’t tell you how many colleagues of mine posting about what show they were streaming or what recipe they were learning to cook in the face of having so much fraught time on their hands.
Speaking of going somewhere, you might be asking yourself this very question right now. Where am I going with this? Well, this website was supposed to be up and running earlier year. In fact, all of the blog posts and Youtube readings you’re going to see in the coming weeks should’ve been up and posted months ago. Just like Shakespeare, I should’ve been working diligently and dutifully on my artistic pursuits throughout this pandemic. After all, I had nothing but time on my hands, right?
Well, the pandemic has affected all of us in unexpected ways. That includes artists like myself.
So, in the coming weeks, I’m going to share with you the process that I’ve been going through. The process of writing my first novel. The process of wrestling with being in lockdown. The process of wrestling with myself.
Thanks for reading and I look forward to telling you a story about my journey.
~Stephen Near
Stephen Near Writer 