Attention all writers and wannabe writers: Today is the best possible day to write something great!

Yes, the world is a mess. But the world has always been a mess. (Since the Fall, anyway.)

Take my friend William Shakespeare as an example. In 1606, an outbreak of the bubonic plague ravaged London, including the little parish where William lived. In fact, it’s likely that the plague killed his landlady, Marie Mountjoy, who was only in her 30s.  Meanwhile, the Globe Theater, where William’s plays were performed, was often closed by the municipal authorities to ensure social distancing, which threatened his main source of income. (Sound familiar?)

There were plenty of other troubles in the world that might have distracted The Bard from his work:

England’s long and costly war with Portugal was a topic of heated debate …

But William kept writing.

The persistent troubles in Ireland created political strife …

But William kept writing.

An assassination attempt on King James I, followed by a string of highly publicized trials and executions captured the public’s attention …

But William kept writing.

In fact, despite the plague and the generally sorry state of the world, 1606 saw the theatrical premiers of Macbeth and Antony and Cleopatra. Scholars also believe that it was during that plague-plagued year that most of King Lear was written.

Ironically, the plague gave Shakespeare some of his sharpest dialogue, as in Romeo and Juliette, when the mortally wounded Mercutio utters, “A plague on both your houses!”

So there you have it. Today is the best possible day for us to write something great, because this is the day that God has given us.

BONUS THOUGHT: Leo Tolstoy, the great Russian novelist, persevered with his writing through good times and bad. While enlisted in the Russian army and fighting in the Crimean War, he composed Boyhood and Sevastopol Tales. Later he would write what many consider the greatest novel of all times – War and Peace – using plain ole paper and ink.