Writing Advice: Writing at the End of the World (revisited)

Also, a cover reveal!

First of all, before we get into the advice, the second Wolftown book is coming out at MFF. In just two and a half weeks! The publisher showed off the cover on Bluesky (go check it out!) but I’m also sharing it with you here because I’m super excited about it:

If it looks different from the first book’s cover, that’s because the original design shop we used has started incorporating AI and we didn’t want to go down that path. We’re going to get a new cover for the first book to match this one; expect it early next year.

Kirkus has a very nice review of Dead Right up already. You can pre-order from Argyll right now, or if you’re going to MFF, you can get it there (and signed if you catch me at the table).

I’m really psyched for everyone to read the next chapter in Jae’s story!

Now, the writing advice:

I wrote a piece six or seven years ago called “Writing at the End of the World.” At least, I remember writing it. I can’t find it in either Do You Need Help? or in my archive of writing advice here, which means it’s probably buried in one of the Dispatches (although a search doesn’t turn it up there either, so maybe I dreamed it?¹). Side note: while looking for it, I also found out that not all the Dispatches from the old platform got ported over here properly, so…holiday project maybe.

Anyway. “End of the World” is a little hyperbolic for sure, but it’s also pretty evocative of the way we feel about our world, for a lot of us. A lot of the institutions we’ve counted on and taken for granted are under threat, and as a result, we have to think about them actively in a way we haven’t for—well, about four years, honestly. A lot of our friends and family may be threatened, as well as our community. It’s a lot to have on our minds.

When I teach writing or give advice, I talk a lot about how important it is to be able to think about your story when you’re not at a keyboard. Keyboard time is important for getting words on the page, but AFK time is just as important to allow you to think through the scenes you’re going to write, to try out options and figure out which works best, to get familiar with your characters and envision your scenes. The story has to feel solid in your mind before you can write it, and that can happen away from the keyboard—it should, in fact, because if it doesn’t, it’ll happen at the keyboard, and that can feel frustrating when you’ve sat down hoping to get 500 words out and all you did was think through a scene. It’s equally important writing work, but it doesn’t show in your word count tracker.

So when there are a lot more things suddenly competing for brainspace, your story gets shoved aside. Writing becomes more difficult, more of a labor. What’s more, you can fall into a mindset that writing is an indulgence when so many more things need your attention.

But writing² is still important. It’s part of our identity, part of the way we express ourselves, and it’s a way to communicate and share with others. Even if we’re not writing directly about The Situation, we are sharing the world we want to see (the way people treat each other) and building our community, and that is valuable.

So I’m going to share a few practices that have helped me write in stressful times, and I hope they’re helpful. Share your own in the comments!

First of all, figure out how to moderate your news intake. There are definitely important things happening that you need to be aware of, but part of the right-wing playbook is to stoke outrage. They light little fires all the time so that you (and their audience) are distracted from the issues they really care about. Pick a news source and avoid others, and limit your news reads to once a day. You don’t have to be an expert on everything all the time, and you don’t have to read four different takes on how bad the Pepe the Frog cartoon nominated for the next government position is. This one can be a little scary, at least for me, because when I’m not reading the news, I worry that something might happen and I won’t know about it. I worry about this even though I know it is nearly impossible. I talk to friends every day who have various levels of news intake, and when something big happens, we talk about it. If I miss it, someone will tell me. I bet the same is true for you.

Second, identify specific areas where you can help and make a difference. Some of our trans friends are trying to move to safer states; you can donate to them. There are a lot of non-profits trying to make a difference that can use donations of money or time. If you’re not sure how to help, ask. I learned this identify specific issues trick way back in a Conservation Biology class, because there are hundreds of situations going on right now where endangered animals need help, and you cannot help all of them. Narrow your worries down to places you can make a difference, and then take action.

What these two accomplish for me is to (1) avoid interrupting my day with another article about some shitty but ultimately out of my control event, and (2) countering my worry with direct action. A lot of the stress around The Situation is our powerlessness to do anything about it, so when we take action, that powerlessness feels alleviated, at least until we read the next shitty thing.

Third, believe in the value of your work. This is a tough one for many of us at any point, but it rests on your belief that you matter. And you do. Some of us need friends or fans to tell us that, but however you do it, you have to believe that your creative work makes a difference, because it does. Even if you never show anyone, the process of creating makes a difference to you. It allows you to express yourself and become more wholly you, and that is important. If you still doubt this, just tell yourself, “Kyell thinks my work is important.”

Lastly, if you’re still stuck, read a book. Read a friend’s story, read for pleasure. If you don’t feel up to being creative, reading requires less energy but can still allow you to access that storytelling space, and maybe it will unlock your writing energy. If not, you’re still reading, and that’s important too.

Good luck. We’ll get through this together.

1. EDIT: thanks to FlatFootFox, who found the original post!

2. I’m discussing writing here, but honestly this applies to any creative pursuit, whether you’re a musician or an artist or a game designer or a fursuit maker. Whatever you do to express yourself, it’s important because it’s part of you.