When the pandemic started and I went on lockdown (as much as I could, that is), I struggled to find time to write. Then gradually, I took advantage of all the down time to write more. Not all productively. I threw a lot of stuff out. But I wrote a lot and finished several pieces through the summer and into the fall. That was a good thing.

But now, I find it harder to sit at the keyboard, and my productivity is slipping. I blame it on Covid fatigue, but I guess that’s just an excuse. The right thing for me to do would be the same thing I always do, force myself to sit at the keyboard and WRITE.

On a related topic, there is the issue of writing stories about Covid, or with Covid in the background. Some members of an online writing group that I belong to have discussed that issue. Are readers ready to read about this pandemic while still living through it? Are writers ready to write about it? Writers are split on the issue, but the two major mystery magazines have told some of their contributors that they aren’t ready for pandemic stories yet. My thought would be, after the pandemic is over, writers and readers would be ready to confront it. Here’s hoping that day arrives soon.

In my own case, I wrote one story that takes place in the age of Covid. I was lucky enough to place that one as the cover story of Flash Bang Mysteries, available at flashbangmysteries.com. I have a relative in an assisted living facility, and the idea for the story came easily to me.

But nothing else. Covid, right now, has no place in any of my stories. The future?

Who knows?