At the beginning, you need not much. But when writer's block comes, you start to surround yourself with anything that could help - meditations, wine, puppies, eventually buy a villa by sea somewhere on French Riviera as many prosperous writers... Don't ask where to start, ask how to continue.

I listen to wordless music or songs in unfamiliar languages

Historical novel. It covers a large area of one country and would be interesting for youth (I hope so).