2020 the year of COVID and The Catalyst

As I write this, 2020 is coming to a close, a year that will go down in history. COVID-19 has separated love ones, torn families apart and killed millions around the world, let-a-lone the economic devastation the pandemic has ravaged. However out of the darkest times shines chinks of light, especially with the medical advancements this year has brought.

The arts have taken amongst the hardest of hits, with playhouses and theaters shut for most of the year, some likely to never open again. Movie sets lying empty and cinemas closed until further notice. However, creativity can never be contained or stifled. This virus has super charged the changes to the entertainment industry that were likely inevitable, and with great ingenuity said entertainment has still been delivered to the masses. Whether it be the largest powerhouses of the industry distributing cinematic releases on streaming services or simply small companies putting on plays via Zoom (other video conferencing software is available!). I had the pleasure of being thoroughly entertained by a murder mystery via Zoom for my work Christmas party, highly enjoyable and quite possibly the future of cheaper, mass entertainment.

The other creative explosion has been a personal one. I would never had had the time (or rather, would not have made the time) to author a novel without the first “lockdown” in the UK. There is a lot to hate about 2020, but for me there is a lot to be grateful for. I feel that I have found my calling in novel writing and will always remember 2020 for, yes, the dreaded “Vid” but I will also remember it as the first full calendar year with my son and the year I wrote my first novel and created the Connected Worlds.

I hope 2021 brings fewer international emergencies but more creative development for me personally.

Written by J. J. Westerman