Virtual reality (VR) might seem like the domain of gamers and tech-savvy businesses, but it can also open up worlds of possibilities for creative writers. From setting up a unique virtual workspace to submerging yourself in a story setting, virtual reality can help improve your writing. The tech experts at Web Design Relief have a few tips on how writers can use virtual reality as an innovative writing tool.

How Creative Writers Can Use Virtual Reality

For Inspiration…

Being able to immerse yourself in a setting can help make your descriptions more accurate and vivid. You may even see some new inspiration and ideas for your short stories, novel, or poetry. Local details can breathe life into your writing, but if your story’s setting is a place where you’ve never actually been, it may be difficult to accurately describe the scenery. Using virtual reality technology and apps, you can choose a location, drop yourself in, and take a “walk” through 360-degree images of New York City, a beach in Aruba, or a ski chalet in Davos. If the couple in your romance novel have a meet-cute while snorkeling in the Caribbean, you can virtually swim in the blue waters and check out the sea life. And the spy in your short story who’s tossing a coin in Rome’s Trevi Fountain will be better prepared for a potential ambush when you check out the surroundings in virtual reality.

A state-of-the-art virtual reality headset can be expensive, but you can use your smartphone and an inexpensive cardboard frame for a more budget-friendly way to still enjoy an immersive experience.

For Workspace Modification…

You can also use virtual reality to enhance your writing workspace. Instead of staring at a cluttered desktop, you could be gazing off into undiscovered corners of a new galaxy! Here are a few virtual desktop setups you might find helpful:

Virtual Desktop: Want to work from the beach—or from outer space? Virtual Desktop lets you build galaxy backdrops, secret spy bases, and other cool environments as a virtual workspace.

vSpatial: vSpatial runs in your browser as opposed to software you have to download. It offers immersive animated backgrounds with unlimited virtual screens and popular apps you can integrate into it. You can also make your desktop screen huge in VR to optimize your work environment.

Immersed: Immersed is free to download and lets you use a private virtual workspace with some nifty features! You can view up to five virtual monitors, or computer screens, in virtual reality using a VR headset. It is fully portable/wireless, so you can take it anywhere. It also offers a virtual whiteboard for brainstorming sessions. If you’re working with a co-author, you can even meet in a virtual coffee shop and work together in virtual reality.

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Question: How might virtual reality help you write?