Today, I’m just examining a little concept that hit me out of the blue or perhaps out of the gaping maw of boredom. Not sure if anyone else has this exact problem with writing, but sometimes you just lose “it”. Yes, I understand that was not very clear so I promise to expound further, although if you have not experienced the feeling my explanations most likely will be useless, for which I apologize in advance.
That feeling. You have a dynamite story that falls with the force of a mime’s piano into your head. The entire story is laid out in your mind and you cannot find anything to record it fast enough. Even when you do have something to record it with, you end up not being able to capture it all: the feeling, the direction of the story, the characters. All of it is lost within minutes. If it were not so aggravating I might actually cry for such a loss. Then I have to begin trying to reconstruct the feeling, direction and characters painstakingly and without the whole concept etched into my brain.
There are times when I know I am writing well, I am in a zone. I do not hear people talking to me, the television or radio, the cars on the street. I barely register the fact that my fingers seem to be flying over my computer keyboard with speed that seems inhuman. I barely register that I am making few errors during the entire process when I normally have to hit the backspace key at least a few times in a paragraph, if not more. Everything just flows properly as though there is a physical conduit straight from my brain, through my arms and fingers into the keyboard. The keyboard is simply an extension of my brain and I can capture a look on the face of a character, the way the wind smells faintly of blossoms from a crab apple tree or the surprisingly evil intent of a character I thought was the “good guy”. Then the phone rings, or pet duties call. Perhaps children or other family members interrupt and need food. I realize I have been writing for hours when it seemed like five minutes. I know if I stop, I will not be able to find that same zone. How frustrating! One cannot ignore the duties in the here-and-now. It can be nearly impossible to get back to that same zone afterwards though, and for me, that zone is imperative for me to write well. Writers, what do you do when this happens? How do you get back to that zone?
Sometimes one just has to carry on even if one’s writing is “crap”. When you carry through the difficult times, even when you do not feel like writing, you may find yourself back in that same “zone” later. Better yet, pushing through phases like that (even if the writing really is crap) helps your “writer’s muscle”. You do not have to worry about being in the zone for an entire manuscript, that is what editing is for, but I would encourage all writers to be prepared. Who cares if you look like a nerd? Carrying around a tablet, computer, or even a notepad and pencil is not a big deal but it could make a world of difference in your writing. I like to listen to specific music when I write, then when I come back to it later, sometimes listening to the same music helps my brain recall how I felt when I was in my “zone” allowing me to recreate some vivid memories of what I wanted to write. Everyone is different though, but do not be afraid to try a few things. You never know what might help. If you have certain ways to get back into your zone, please feel free to share!
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