Normally, I find my inspiration while out and about. I wander through parks and see other people talking or playing. I go to work and hear a funny story or experience something new.

However, in mid-March, everything changed. We’re not meant to go out. We can’t socialize in person, can’t wander through parks, can’t find a crazy random happenstance to talk about.

So, what now?

How do you find inspiration in times when you can’t actually get out to find the inspiration?

To be honest, it was difficult for me to find any inspiration to write or develop my story. I found myself floating alone in the water with nothing to help guide my way.

But after a couple weeks of floundering about, I realized this was not going to be a short break from public areas, so I knew I needed to find a new way of jumpstarting my creativity.

So, of course, I turned to the internet.

Watch Some YouTube Videos

In place of travelling to parks and wandering about, I found that drone footage of scenery, coupled with peaceful music really worked for me. Here are two of my favorite videos:

Videos of scenery is not the only way to get inspired, but it is one of the things that inspired me. There are also sound videos that will allow you to listen in on French cafe sounds or close your eyes and hear the sounds of an Italian Piazza. It really just depends on what you’re looking for.

Discover a New Hobby

Beyond audio and visual inspiration, I also have been doing a lot of new activities. Find a hobby or task that your characters might know and learn it yourself. For example, one of my characters is going to be good at surviving in the forest, so I have been researching survival skills, knots, types of edible plants, etc.

Do Some Research

One of the main things I’m doing to help pass the time and keep me engaged with my characters is read about languages. I’m trying to develop some languages for my book, so researching linguistics and trends in language formation has really helped that aspect of my book.

But you can research the era of your novel, a city, customs, cultures, religions, etc. There’s no end to the amount of knowledge you can gather!

Religions have also been high on my list because I want to make sure to develop well-formed religious views for my characters as well.

Meditate

Although it may seem silly or curious, zoning out and not worrying about writing or any stresses can really help your creativity flow! Just take 15-30 minutes and just relax, either do a guided meditation, or find some soothing music and let it carry you away!

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Do you have anything has worked best for you during lockdown to help you stay focused and creative? I’d love to hear your thoughts and what’s worked! Let me know in the comments!

Adventures in Writing Informative Writing Tips creativity drone hobby inspiration meditation research video writer writing