You're a creative person, so I know this has been a difficult year for you to connect with your muse. It's hard to find the silver lining in a global pandemic. Perhaps it's easier to feel joy that more and more people are waking up to systemic racism, in particular for Blacks. Realizing the extent of the problem can only make things worse emotionally, however. For me as a White American, I find myself feeling guilty about how I have benefited in my life from White privilege, and more guilt that I am not doing enough to help make things right.

And through all of this we still seek to create. That's why I participated in the 2020 VCFA Novel Retreat. As much as I would have loved a week in Vermont with fellow creatives, the organizers made the right decision to hold it through Zoom, and they pulled it off brilliantly. I learned a tremendous amount, received great feedback on my novel in progress, and formed a bond with writers I had never met before. 

Yes, I'm still working on an urban fantasy novel. Two years in, I learned from my faculty review that while my world-building is solid, I have a ways to go with plot, character development, and POV. At least I feel capable of making those adjustments. I've now dived in, knowing I won't be ready for another review of the manuscript until 2021. We won't have solved the problem of racism by then, but perhaps progress will have been made with a treatment and/or vaccine for COVID-19. And, just maybe, I'll find myself next summer enjoying the company of fellow creatives on a small MFA campus in Montpelier.

Happy creating!

Patrick

https://www.patrick-ross.com