O.C. Writers

EDITOR’S NOTE: Today we’re introducing Barbara Neal Varma to the O.C. Writers’ Leadership Team. Beginning today, she’ll share her fun-at-heart reflections on living the writing life in Orange County in the monthly WORDS FROM THE WRITING CAVE column. Welcome aboard, Barbara!

By Barbara Neal Varma // 

I thought I’d get more writing done during the pandemic.

A less than lofty goal, perhaps, while others were making masks, but I’ve been getting up at the break of dawn for many years, trying to fit some writing in first thing. The day job leaves little room for living the freelance life. By the time I dutifully take my vitamins, work a full day, and spend some quality time with family and friends, it’s off to bed.

So I considered the potential for extra innings in the writing cave a shiny silver lining amidst the COVID storm. Shelter-in-place? Telework and avoid the daily commute? Let Amazon run my errands? Deal. I’ll go get my tea.

But somehow life’s distractions find a way. Suddenly, simple chores and routines became anything but. Everything coming in or out of our home-sweet-home had to be cleaned and sanitized. Zoom catch-up meetings with family and friends filled my iCal calendar. Wash hands two to three times a day, the science folks said, while singing Happy Birthday or reciting the Star Trek intro, if you’re a fan like me.

And don’t even get me started about the mini marathon that grocery shopping had become. No more sprinting down the aisles or racing to complete a Vons run during lunch hour. These days, one has to carefully practice social distancing, navigate down the aisles in the direction of the floor arrows, and be diligent not to touch your face after feeling up a tomato. What used to take me under an hour now requires a minimum of three. After a few weeks of quarantine, my refrigerator was full, but the page remained empty. 

It didn’t help that my inner peace and quiet were being challenged by the latest news updates. I tried my best to follow the advice of my writing idol, Julia Cameron, and “keep the drama on the page,” but every time I found a few free minutes, the only thing I wanted to do was take a nap, so exhausted from 2020’s emotional roller-coaster ride.

Only one thing to do: find refuge in the routine. I started getting up at 4:30 a.m. again, bringing my hot tea and cookie into my home office for another solitary, socially distant hour of word play while wearing pajamas. Rules for the writing cave: no news, no masks, no excuses. That first morning of my return, the rising sun winked at me like an old friend.

And just like that, things seemed a little more back to normal.

Another silver lining.

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BARBARA NEAL VARMA is a contributing writer to Orange Coast Magazine and has appeared in other notable publications, including The Atlantic. Her easy-humor personal essays have proven popular with readers, one gaining numerous hits on Orange Coast Magazine‘s website. (Hello: Desperately Seeking Donny.) You can learn more at BarbaraNealVarma.com.