‘Creativity is its own life force, with its own ebbs and flows, and needs to be treated with that respect. We cannot expect the mind to just churn things out continuously. We need to develop a more reciprocal relationship with this force.’

‘So much of writing happens entirely alone and entirely inside our own brains … it can be very easy to lose perspective. Collaboration and community are so important because of that: they keep me sane, and often stop me from despairing.’

Writing NSW senior program officer Ashley Kalagian Blunt reflects on the process of providing quality courses to writers during the pandemic.