As of March 20, 2020, there are over 15,000 cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. We’re all trying to stay positive — but hey, this shit is getting scary. To prevent the spread of the virus, many of us (hopefully) are staying inside and distancing ourselves from others.

Do you know what that means, writers? It’s time to work on your book! What better time to work on your book than weeks (or months, hopefully not months…) of self-isolation?

Or, are you not sure how to get writing inspiration during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Hey, if you want to take this quarantined time to do nothing and binge-watch Netflix, I’m not going to judge you.

But if you’re not writing because you lack the motivation, then there are ways to kick yourself in the butt and start writing that CoronaNovel of yours.

Here are a few ways to get inspiration for creative writing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read Your Old Writing

Think taking some time to admire your own literary works of genius is self-centered? Nonsense! If anything, it can influence you to hunker down and get to work on your NEXT literary work of genius!

Any writing can work — whether you read your previous books or your old school notes, silly text messages, and even work emails can help give you the wordage influence you need.

This technique can help you identify your voice. Or maybe you’re critiquing your existing pieces, inspiring you to improve your craft.

If you’re writing a novel, you should regularly read through your previous chapters. When I write, I always refer back to the last few chapters I already wrote. Not only does this help expedite the editing process significantly, but I also ensure the story flows seamlessly — even while writing the first draft.

Read Books and Watch Netflix

The coronavirus self-isolation is the ultimate “Netflix and chill” excuse, amirite? If you’re stuck without a job and want to spend the whole day watching Netflix, don’t feel bad about it. Why? Because all of those TV shows, documentaries, and movies may give you the inspiration to write.

Contrary to popular belief, watching films and TV actually helps improve your writing significantly.

Conveying personalities and dialogue in writing is often difficult. Watching characters on your screen and seeing them interact with others helps solidify their personality. This can make your characters more realistic and likable.

Even though many indie filmmakers write boring stories, as I explain in this blog, you can get some serious writing inspiration by binge-watching Netflix.

If you don’t think Netflix is inspiring creativity, then refer back to every writer’s favorite hobby: reading. Expand your reading list. Finish that book you haven’t gotten around to. Maybe read something you don’t normally read.

Form Habits

One of my biggest writing influences, Laurell K. Hamilton, said she would wake up at 5 A.M. every morning before work and write for hours. This is obviously before she became a New York Times Bestselling Author. But that’s beside the point.

The point is to not necessarily create goals but form habits. Get into the habit of writing every day. Even if you’re not working, you may not feel the drive and energy to write — especially if you spend your time researching this virus.

Whether you’re a morning writer, an evening writer (that’s me!) or you would just rather write day and night to finish your novel, form effective writing habits during this period of isolation.

You Don’t Have to Get Famous

When I first wrote Dissecting House, I oozed with confidence. Yeah, I wrote a book. Look at me. My books are going to be famous. I’m going to have a TV series or movies made based on my books. I will have book signings and so many readers.

Did that happen? Well, maybe one day — I’m a dreamer, after all! But has it happened yet? HA! No.

But I’m doing what I can. I’m getting my name out there with marketing, attending conventions, and selling my book wherever I can. It’s all I can do.

Now, I’m working on two books — one is a sequel to Dissecting House and the other is a brand new book! But instead of focusing on fame and movie adaptations, I’m focusing on my love of writing and my love of telling a story.

And this is what writers should focus on. One of the reasons why I notice writers don’t finish a book is because they’re scared of what people think or they think no one will read/like their book.

Fuck that. Write because you love it. Even if you don’t formally publish your novel and only show your book to colleagues, just write it and get it out there. You may be surprised to hear how much people like your book!

Be Healthy

Yeah, yeah. Sure. The advice we’re always told. Eat healthy. Stay active. Blah blah blah.

But seriously, staying healthy can also improve your writing. Why is that? Because a healthy body equals a healthy mind!

So I can only speak for myself — I’m a gym nut and a health freak. If I skip the gym for too long or eat junk food, I feel like shit. And then I only think about how I feel like shit. Not the best creative process, right?

I also write web content for a living. Writing for clients all day and then writing novels and my personal blogs after takes a lot out on my brain. Which is why I exercise. Exercise is like a mental release and helps keep my body strong.

And there’s science behind the mental benefits of exercise: exercise reduces stress and depression, enhances your confidence, and gives your brain a boost.

What does that mean? Replace the potato chips with frozen veggies. Instead of napping all day, pick up those hand weights and/or take a walk around your neighborhood. There are plenty of effective and brain-powering exercises you can do while in quarantine.

Trust me, after a day of eating healthy and exercising, you’ll gain some serious focus and creativity that you can use toward your novel.

Use Life as an Influence

How often does normal life influence your writing? The crazy shit that goes on in this world inspires my writing more than anything. I was just telling my boyfriend that I get many of my gory scenes from the crazy news stories I read. Hey, Florida Man is more compelling than Jason Voorhees.

But how can we use life as an influence if we’re stuck inside? This is the only time I will recommend this — go on social media. But study people. See what they post, their intent on posting, the captions they use, the images/media/links they post, etc. Do they post about themselves? Do they post other content, such as memes? Trust me, you’ll get some great character influence.

If social media is too distracting, do what I do — read news articles. From the latest car crash to the insane crimes people commit, you’ll gain plenty of inspiration when reading your local newspaper or news website. Hell, I’m sure this virus is alone can cook up a great story idea.

Don’t Ignore Your Emotions

This COVID-19 epidemic is causing some intense emotions in people. People are scared. They’re angry that they’re stuck in their homes. Or maybe isolation is causing depression. You may even feel relieved and happy that you have an excuse to be stuck at home in your PJs (such as myself over here).

This is an emotional time. Put it out in your writing. Your writing will not only be more powerful but more relatable.

Your First Draft Should Suck

Another reason I see writers never finish a story is they read back on their first draft and realize it sucks. Good. This is the chance to improve it. Take the quarantine to edit or even rewrite the book.

If you’re still stuck, I suggest using Grammarly Premium (no, not the free one) and Hemingway App. Grammarly Premium goes a step farther than the normal Grammarly — along with fixing your grammatical errors, they will recommend ways to improve the readability of your writing.

If you’re cutting expenses during this time or are simply working with a writer’s budget, Hemingway App is a free alternative. Just paste each chapter into Hemingway App and they will highlight areas that need to be improved, such as removing adverbs or fixing long sentences.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for a Second Opinion

Let’s say you finished writing your book, understanding your first draft sucks, and are still not sure about it. Or maybe you finished editing your piece and are still not impressed. Don’t be afraid to ask for a second opinion.

Beta readers can help tremendously. They’re not professional editors — they’re people who care about you and your writing. They want to see you succeed and will do what they can to help you out.

Since beta readers aren’t professionals, they can provide feedback on the simple parts of the book. But the simple things are the most important; there’s a chance your readers aren’t professional writers, so you’re receiving feedback from the reader’s point of view.

What information should you find out? Ask your beta readers about the readability. Is the book easy to read? Maybe ask about the story and if it’s enticing.

Your beta readers can also bring up something you may not have considered — whether good or bad.

In my case, it was bad.

So, a friend read Dissecting House before it was published. She made positive comments like, “wow I’m so impressed by Mina’s strength. She can strangle a man AND pick up his body? What a woman!”

I had to double think that. Yes, my friend was technically complimenting my story. But Mina is a 115-120 pound and relatively short woman. Uh, no she can’t do that to a full-grown man who’s at least double her size.

I wrote that originally because I’m so used to horror films and novels depicting a male serial killer, who does have the strength to strangle and pick up women with his bare hands. I may not have noticed that unless my friend was nice enough to read my book for me.

Who are the best people to use as beta readers? Find a devoted reader or two and offer them the beta reader position, maybe stating they will get a “first look into the new book.” Your beta reader can also be loved ones — family, significant others, friends, colleagues, and anyone else who cares about your writing.

Do your beta readers have to read your full book? If they want to be a beta reader but don’t have time, ask them to only read the first few chapters. That’s enough to hear decent feedback, such as if they like what they read so far and/or if they want to continue reading the story.

Have Fun

Writing is your passion. Don’t think too much into it. Have fun writing your book. Let your writing come naturally. If you’re not having fun writing a specific book, write something else.

How to Get Writing Inspiration During the Coronavirus Pandemic: Start Writing!

Whether you’re working on a novel or are writing poetry, knowing how to get writing inspiration isn’t always easy — especially now while we’re in the middle of a pandemic. Just because the big bad COVID-19 is in town doesn’t mean you should pause your writing craft.

Hopefully, these are things to help you write and will inspire you to write and help make the writing process easier.

But when you write, be sure you don’t write your novel with fluff! But what is fluff? I wrote a whole article on it.