Insights and lessons learnt from first-hand experience

Have you found your creativity lacking since you entered lockdown? Or are you worried that now lockdown is lifting and life starts to return to ‘normal’ that your hard-won inspiration-creating free time will disappear? Worry not – there are ways to keep your writing on the straight and narrow…

The first three months

When lockdown first reared its ugly head and I was placed on furlough, I was secretly a little excited – maybe now I’d be able to finish that novel that had been on the back-burner for so long. But reality turned out to be a very different story.

Like so many others, the stress and anxiety of such a drastic life change, and the uncertainty about what the future held, meant my creativity dropped down a deep, damp well.

I spent the first few weeks moping, worrying and staring at a blank notebook page (when I could face opening a notebook at all). But mostly I ate. To keep myself busy I tried new indulgent recipes – including baking bread – and then had to eat the results of course. And living alone meant there was no-one to share the calories.

Eventually, when I realised my clothes were falling victim to ‘furlough fat’ I decided enough was enough.

Time to do some exercise.

So I put a schedule in place. I would get up, throw on some exercise clothes and leave the house for a walk or a run, eating a well-deserved breakfast on my return home.

And to my surprise, my muse began to visit once more, and creativity blossomed.

I frequently found myself stopping to whip out my phone and type a little nugget that had popped into my head. My running times were abysmal, but my writing was on the move once more!

Soon I had established a routine:

My checklist for inviting in my muse

1. Get up
2. Put on my gym clothes
3. Go for a walk/run – nowadays I have a pretty, multi-terrain 5.5 mile route
4. Stagger home and put the kettle on
5. Sit in the garden with my cup of tea and my notebook and start writing down all the ideas that came to me during my outing
6. Eat my breakfast (or lunch, if I didn’t get up very early, or if my writing session was a long one)
7. Start editing, polishing and typing up my creation, for possible inclusion on my blog

Dealing with when the words won’t come

Of course, not every day was a success – sometimes my muse just didn’t want to face the day with me. So I learnt a new trick – be kind to myself. I learnt not to beat myself up when the words wouldn’t flow. I decided to let myself have a day off if I needed it and not get annoyed with myself.

So I created another checklist to help me when the words wouldn’t come:

1. Choose a word or subject that appeals to me
2. Make a list of words that relate to the subject
3. When a word excites me or sparks inspiration, start using it in a sentence
4. Keep going!
5. If I need further inspiration I use an inspiration app – my go-to app is The Writer’s App, from Writers-online.co.uk
6. If it still isn’t working for me – have a day off and do something for me – maybe a bubble bath, painting my nails, some gardening or taking photographs

Common sense or a new way of thinking?

These may all sound like common sense to you, but to me it was a revelation. I’d never sat down and thought it out like this before. It all boils down to four simple steps:

1. Establish a routine and stick to it (rain or shine)
2. If the writing doesn’t flow, be kind to yourself – getting annoyed doesn’t encourage your muse, it just scares her (or him) off
3. Get plenty of fresh air and exercise. Enjoy your surroundings as you walk – it may provide you with the inspiration you are searching for, as it did for me!

Dealing with a return to ‘normal’

And now our lives are changing again. Lockdown is being relaxed, workplaces are opening up, socialising is on the cards again. So how do you hold onto your muse as your life changes again? By incorporating your routine into your new working and socialising day.

My all-new future-proof checklist!

As I venture out more often, my routine will have to adapt, but I am making a promise to myself to keep it going, and writing it here is the first step in that commitment:

1. I will exercise as soon as I get up, even if that means setting the alarm an hour earlier to fit it in before work. I have started mixing up my routine and including hiit sessions, yoga and dance classes to ensure I stay interested and to keep moving even if the weather turns and being outside isn’t possible
2. I will jot down my ideas as soon as I get back, then put it to one side for after work
3. I will spend time each day writing for myself – even if it is only a few minutes
4. I will continue to be kind to myself when things don’t go according to plan, which, if 2020 has taught us anything, is that this is inevitable

Your routine may be completely different to mine, but a routine is important – keep it up long enough and it will become a habit, and what better one to have than a writing habit?