I have forced myself to begin writing when I’ve been utterly exhausted, when I’ve felt my soul as thin as a playing card, when nothing has seemed worth enduring for another five minutes…
and somehow the activity of writing changes everything. Or appears to do so.
— Joyce Carol Oates
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Absolutely!
Yes and yes!
Anybody as prolific as JCO must have written in plenty of downtimes. I’ve had trouble writing during emotional upsets, but it stands to reason that if reading comforts us, writing would too. It’s immersion in story either way.
What a great quote. YES. It does depend on the personal crisis going on at the moment. Sometimes writing has helped me to get away from problems and pain, but other times I’m far too distraught and distracted.