Creativity and the Coronavirus

I hope you are safe and well. How’s your writing going? Are you in lockdown? The coronavirus is dangerous for your health, but it can also have detrimental effects on your creativity.

You’re All Individuals

That sentence always reminds me of Monty Python’s sketch in ‘The Life of Brian’, but seriously speaking, everyone is different. Creativity manifests itself in various ways in our brains. For some people, a world crisis like this coronavirus outbreak feeds their creativity. 

There are many examples of this. 

The actor Patrick Stewart is reading Shakespeare’s Sonnet per day on Twitter. Among many celebrity chefs, Jason Atherton is cooking on Twitter, giving his restaurant recipes a simpler twist to allow for more modest larders. Joe Wicks, a fitness instructor, is doing a free live exercise routine for kids every morning. His YouTube audience has hit 5 million. “I’m the busiest man in the world. I am so fired up...it’s amazing, he told the Financial Times.

We creatives, like everyone, react differently to world events. Some are enthused and “fired up” by a crisis such as the coronavirus pandemic, while others are struck down by all the horrible news of death and disease. 

Change of routine

In addition to the mental strain a crisis puts on our brans, a lockdown also means a change of routine. Perhaps, like me, you work from home but now you have a partner and children to contend with during the day. Perhaps you normally write in a shared office space, or in a cafe?

In all of these instances, you have to adapt to new circumstances and a new way of writing. Again, for some this change may give fresh impetus to your creativity, while others take longer to get used to a new desk, or a shared room to work in. 

I’ve had to give up my home office to my partner. This is mainly because his work involves a lot of interaction with others. For ten hours each weekday since the lockdown, he’s been on various conference calls or running webinars. He needs more space than I do, so I am now relocated to a spare bedroom. I’m lucky that we have one! And to put my mind at peace as I glance up from my laptop, this room (like every other one in our flat) is overflowing with books, so I feel right at home here.

No Headspace Left for Creativity

According to popular belief, Shakespeare wrote King Lear while in quarantine during the plague. Naturally, we should all aspire to be the modern Bard, but, hey, that’s are heady height to reach.

Everyone reacts differently to the change of routine and to the constant, increasingly apocalyptical news stories from around the world. Personally, I’ve not written a single word on my current manuscript since the start of this crisis. Writing seems such a pointless activity at the moment. Of course, my brain knows that this statement is not true. Providing my readers with new material to enjoy is what spurs me on. And I know that reading soothes the soul. It reduces stress and gives hope in a hopeless situation. So what better way to provide a little light relief to those who enjoy my books than give them something new to read? And yet, I cannot bring myself to write a single word. I just don’t have the headspace for it.

Be Kind to Yourself

If this is you, please try not to worry. The creativity will return. These are unprecedented times, so be kind to yourself.  You’re most probably worried about family and friends, and the constant flow of bad news can overwhelm the toughest of minds. Let your mind go fallow, meditate, do yoga online, and try not to worry. Easier said than done, I know…

Time for Reflection

Instead of writing, perhaps start a journal where you note down your innermost feelings. As a writer, your outlet is writing, so noting down your thoughts can give you the same relief as writing does. Besides, your thoughts from this terrible era may feed a book project later. I predict a tsunami of books on a pandemic in the coming years.

So give yourself time for reflection, and if you want to feel useful, why not spend the available time marketing (if you already have a book – or books – out), writing nonfiction, increasing your online presence, or just taking time out to read. As a writer, reading is never time wasted!

If you’d like to read about writing, check out this guest post by Marielle Smith about writing to market. Her book 52 Weeks of Writing is now out. You can get it here.

The founder of the Alliance of Independent Authors, Orna Ross, has also published books (including workbooks) on how to fire up your creative mind. You can find them here. I love Orna’s handbooks and have found Fast Writing, in particular, helpful while stuck on a manuscript, or just with life.

Connect Online

Connecting online is hugely important in these turbulent times. For me, chatting to family, friends and writing pals via online platforms such as Zoom and HouseParty is a lifeline during these terrible, lonely times.

For further learning, there are a plethora of writing and marketing classes online. Now maybe the time to learn how to use Amazon Ads, or what to do to increase your social media presence.

Have a look at the archives on my blog here. There are posts about book marketing, on how to turn your life story into fiction, and guides to almost anything to do with self-publishing.

If you’d like to connect with me on social media, I’m on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Linkedin. Do say ‘Hi’ and let me know how you are doing.

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