The Mental Writing Space
September 24, 2007 by Anne Wayman
Filed under Jobs
I’d just finished editing a chapter and sending off by email when a writing friend called. As soon as I said hello I realized I was still in my mental writing space and it took a moment to get present with my friend.
I don’t totally understand that space, but I value it. Another friend called it extreme focus and I suppose that’s as good a definition as any. I am focused on the writing and very little gets my attention. It’s almost a meditative space, except words are coming out of my fingers. Maybe it’s an active meditative space of some sort.
Writing doesn’t always happen that way for me, although often enough so I trust it and welcome it when it does. When it doesn’t happen automatically, I can sometimes create it just by writing.
I suspect not doing any writing for two days has something to do with it too… the value of downtime.
What mental space do you get into to write? Is it easy? Hard? Do you know how to create it for yourself? Let’s talk about it in our comment section.
Write well and often,
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I definitely have a writing space. I need to be in it when writing fiction. And, I can’t get into it right away. It takes me 10-30 minutes of writing just random things first (emails, blog comments) to get me into my space. I can’t switch out of it quickly either.
Unfortunately, I don’t get into my space very often. I don’t have the undivided time. Maybe a couple times a week I can do that.
If I get into my space though, there’s no such thing as staring at a blank screen. Words flow without effort.
I’ve called it ‘being in the writing zone’, and I literally forget the rest of the world. It’s hard to get my attention during that time. When I’m writing fiction, I usually read the last few pages of whatever I was working on before. And for non-fiction, like Tammy, I read and comment on blogs or write a post for my blog. By that time I am juiced up to continue in the zone.
Hi Anne,
I call this state Hyperfocus. Usually when you are really really interested in something then you can just zone into it and the world goes away for a while.
I find it easy to get into when I’m interested in something and especially when I’m learning something new.
Writing is a bit harder for me. I actually need to get away from my computer with a yellow pad for a while. I seem to write better when I’m not at home also. Of course, it depends on what I’m writing! :) Its the creative work that is the hardest.
I wish I could summon up hyperfocus at will the way you do. What a gift you have!
Tammy and Angela… I guess I warm up to it too… and when I’m writing my own stuff, if I quit before I’m wrung out it’s easer to get into the zone the next day.