How have authors been staying productive with a country in lockdown?

By Alana Kent

A worldwide pandemic is hard for everyone to deal with, but I wondered how creatives (in this case, authors) had been dealing with staying productive in this unprecedented time. So, I reached out to two of my favourite authors (Kate Eberlen and Beth O’Leary) to hear what they’ve been doing to cope with the stress of being in lockdown.

Kate Eberlen is the author of the best selling “Miss You” and has recently released another amazing book “Only you” (which I’m currently reading!) Her writing genuinely transports me to another place, and my thoroughly well read copy of “Miss You” is testament to that. Anyway, I reached out to Kate and asked five questions about the creative process and how she’s kept up being creative.

1) How have you stayed creative during lockdown/quarantine?

I am writing a new novel and I feel lucky that I am able to work from home. As a writer, I am used to spending long periods on my own, but I’d be lying if I said that it has been easy.

2) Has lockdown affected your creative process? (Positively or negatively? How?)

Usually, when I’m at this stage of a book, I get up early, write for as long as I can, then go for a long walk or a swim to clear my head and let ideas bubble up. This hasn’t been possible and I very much miss it, because it’s an important part of my creative process.

3) Have you found that writing (or other creative activities) have helped distract you from everything going on in the world at the moment?

To a certain extent, yes. When I’m writing, I’m pretty much in my characters’ heads, visualising where they are and what they are feeling. At the moment, they are in Paris and it’s really nice to try to remember all the different sights, sounds, smells and tastes of a different city!

4) Have you had any creative breakthroughs during lockdown? (you mentioned a new book?)

If you keep pushing even when you feel like it’s going nowhere, little creative breakthroughs tend to happen. The important thing is to keep working, but it’s also useful sometimes to let yourself have a day or two off, forget about it and come back feeling fresh.

5) Do you have any tips for people looking to be creative during this time but are struggling due to what's going on? (Maybe ways to deal with writer's block? How to relax into letting yourself be creative? ((possibly without needing to think about it so much?)

Somebody once said to me that there is no such thing as writers’ block, you just haven’t thought about your story enough. I think this is harsh, because creativity depends so much on confidence, which is difficult to find when you have no idea what the future holds. However, I do think that writing is about doing the work even when you don’t feel like it, as much as it is about having the inspiration. At the beginning of lockdown, I told myself that if I didn’t use the time productively, I would be cross with myself after. That thought has spurred me on!

Beth O’Leary is the author of “The Flat Share”, which was a Sunday Times top five best seller (and for the record, is absolutely amazing, I’m reading “The Switch” and I love it, besides the point.) I reached out to Beth’s literary agent, Tanera, who is absolutely lovely. 1) How have you stayed creative during lockdown/quarantine?

Not checking the news! At first I found this incredibly tough - I was checking it constantly, always on edge - but I started limiting myself to twice per day, and then once. It was so helpful for my creativity: instead of using all that brain space for absorbing terrifying news, I could use it to come up with uplifting fiction. Much better.

2) Has lockdown affected your creative process? (Positively or negatively? How?)

At first, it definitely had a really negative effect. I was struggling to concentrate; everything felt unimportant compared to the scale of the crisis. With time I've come to terms with the situation - I think at first we were all in shock, really, and it's about recovering from that. Now lockdown means a lot more time alone at home, which actually means more time to be writing rather than doing events or publicity. Though I still sometimes find myself spiralling off worrying about the world.

3) Have you found that writing (or other creative activities) have helped distract you from everything going on in the world at the moment?

Sometimes when I'm really in the flow of writing I can shut out the real world; I'm in my characters' heads and nothing else seems real. That's such a wonderful feeling, and I've been really grateful for that escape.

4) Have you had any creative breakthroughs during lockdown?

I had a few small but important discoveries as I edited my third book in the last few weeks. I often find walking really useful for creativity, so I've been incredibly grateful to still have that activity while we're in lockdown.

5) Do you have any tips for people looking to be creative during this time but are struggling due to what's going on? (Maybe ways to deal with writer's block? How to relax into letting yourself be creative? ((possibly without needing to think about it so much?))

I would definitely say don't put any pressure on yourself. These are extraordinary, terrifying times - it's completely natural to be struggling to think creatively. In my experience creativity is a flighty thing, and it disappears at the slightest sign of stress or pressure. So just ease off, take yourself for a walk, cook a slow, time-consuming meal, give something a go and don't beat yourself up if it's not working.

Before I finish off, I’d like to say a massive thank you to Kate and Beth for answering my questions! I’m sure that people will appreciate the advice as much as I did!