State of Flow
Forgive me, as I may appear to be a bit obsessed with water lately.
Perhaps that’s because our patch of the Sonoran Desert hasn’t received measureable rainfall in the past 41 days (this, while my parents in Pennsylvania consider purchasing a rowboat for their front yard, which is not lakefront property … usually).
I’m reminded of this deficit daily, as the scorched desert dirt sends tendrils of earthy smoke from under my running shoes, from beneath my truck’s tires. I imagine it screaming, “I’m parched! I’m thirsty! I need relief!”
Despite the very dry state of the desert when this photo was taken in March, water trickled down Copper Creek into this tiny tributary from the 4,000-7,000-foot high Galiuro Mountains. I love the way the water intensifies the peach color of this igneous rock. Click to enlarge.
Perhaps my growing liquid-less unrest has been further exacerbated by last week’s failed promise of rain? Or maybe it’s because June 15 seems so far away still – the official start of our desert monsoon season. Even then there is no guarantee, no magic button to push, to ensure that the skies will open on that day (though even the mere promise of it is refreshing …)
For all those reasons, it seemed the perfect time to share photos that I snapped when water was flowing near my desert home. Think of this photo montage as a bit of a pre-monsoon celebration (or my own silly, superstitious precursor to rain … a way of eliciting good vibes for a wet June, July and August)!
Right down the road, Aravaipa Canyon does feature a perennial creek, as photographed during a group hike in December of last year. This is one of my favorite desert spots, and I’d love to dip my toes in that babbling brook right now. Click to enlarge.
Heavy rains from the Santa Catalinas re-contoured the normally bone-dry wash that cuts through our driveway. Thanks to Mother Nature’s sculpting, we now have a curvy drive instead of straight. Click to enlarge.
For Writers: Do you ever experience days when your writing is flowing, the words tumbling off the keyboard on to your screen like water in a stream, without effort? Time just zips on by, your creation is nearly flawless, and the ability to achieve that perfect crescendo in your work seems effortless (yeah… it doesn’t happen to me often, either). For me, it’s pretty hit-or-miss.
Well, guess what? You can learn to harness this flow! I am intrigued and breathless knowing that this kind of creative momentum can be practiced and perfected. At the same time, I am absolutely terrified, because, at its heart, achieving a state of flow means letting go and becoming focused.
And let’s just say I have some anal retentive tendencies that make letting go a bit difficult. Plus, I am always switching from right brain to left brain when I write (Write a sentence. Edit. Write a sentence. Edit). This is counterproductive to flow, as I’m learning.
According to Everett Bogue, author of The Art of Being Minimalist, “Flow is a moment in time when you’re both challenged at the activity that you’re doing, and when you also have complete autonomy in the task you’re conducting.” He believes it’s a time when no thinking is involved, when “the conscious part of the mind switches off and awareness of self slips away, allowing you to just do.”
Sounds easy, huh? (Note sarcasm).
But here’s the good news. In a guest blog on zenhabits.net, Bogue offers some pointers for achieving flow. I’ve paraphrased them below (adding my wit and eloquent vocabulary, of course), but feel free to consult his entire post, which really is a must-read if you want to save time, increase productivity and get in the “zone.”
9 Ways to Achieve Flow
- Choose something challenging. The key is to select something you love and have a passion for (like writing!). Tedious tasks won’t ignite flow.
- Turn that damn social media ‘stuff’ off. Phones, Twitter, e-mail, Facebook … it’s all distracting. Flipping back and forth between writing and these tasks disrupts flow (I know this firsthand).
- Research first. Before your flow session, be prepared. Have your research done in advance so you don’t jolt yourself out of the groove. That means understanding your character’s motivation for the scene, knowing the setting, understanding the medical scenario or how blueberries are processed (or whatever) before you start.
- Become a temporary hermit. The key to achieving flow is being alone – not in a room full of people (little ones or big ones).
- Give in. This is the tough one for me: let go. Have no preconceived notions about the results you will achieve. Let that word count, page count or chapter count slip from your mind. It narrows your focus and leaves you open to disappointment if you don’t reach said goal. (Again, I have lots of experience in the ‘disappointment’ area).
- Use a timepiece. Start out with a goal – maybe 30 minutes of uninterrupted flow time and put your all into it. Let ‘er rip! If you go at it with gusto, you may just forget about time completely.
- Keep the synapses firing. Don’t stop long enough to let your mind wander (tame the urge to log on to Twitter, pet the cat, take pictures of birds outside your window!). Choose a challenging pace, but not a frenetic one. The goal is to remain calm, but while moving forward.
- Turn off your brain. Try not to second-guess everything you do, and turn off the self-consciousness of your every move (also known as sabotage).
- Practice makes perfect. Don’t freak out if you aren’t a flow master from the start. Like all things worth pursuing, it takes practice. Choose a regular time every day to practice your flow skills. After a few days, a week, a month, you may just have a new, free-flowing approach to your writing.
What about you? Do you already have flow mastered? What are your secrets? Or are you one of those tortured souls like me who feels the need to ‘perfect as you go’? What works for you? Would you consider trying any of the above techniques?
*Special thanks to writer and creativity guru @lizmassey68, who first introduced me to this article and the “flow focus.”
May 23rd, 2011 at 5:47 am
Helpful post. Thanks. Now if I can only find the discipline to try it out.
I can do this— but usually only in the middle of the night when my subconscious is bursting to overflow.
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Melissa Reply:
May 23rd, 2011 at 8:50 am
Heck – if you can get this to happen in the middle of the night, I’d take advantage of it (that is, unless you have an early morning job you need to be at). I also tried an exercise whereby you write first thing out of bed, without speaking to anyone, no Internet, etc. (same concept as yours above – that the subconscious is letting you be free). It’s supposed to be a way to train yourself to “write on command.” I did it for a few weeks with success then, alas, did not continue. Must try it again.
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May 23rd, 2011 at 5:49 am
These are wonderful tips, very helpful and very timely — because you and I have discussed on other occasions — I am working hard to harness the flow of my writing!
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Melissa Reply:
May 23rd, 2011 at 8:51 am
Yes, now I just need to put them to practice, myself!
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May 23rd, 2011 at 6:05 am
These are great tips! I admit I’m particularly guilty of keeping my twitter and msn going while I’m writing, but I usually find this helps more than it hinders. On the other hand, the constant switching to check my email or read blogs is not a good thing at all.
It is really hard to turn the inner editor off and just keep going but once you do, it makes all the difference in the world. I’ve written many a phrase in my current story that were sneered at by my inner editor but I put them down regardless and kept going. If that inner voice had its way, I’d still be back on the first page instead of on the verge of the sixth one.
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Melissa Reply:
May 23rd, 2011 at 8:52 am
I am guilty as charged, as well. So I decided to start writing in our travel trailer. I have Internet there, but the “rules” are different than when I’m beind my freelance writing desk. No Internet, no phone, different space designed only for fiction… Guess what? It’s working!
Now I need to work on that inner editor you mention…
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May 23rd, 2011 at 6:16 am
Writing at the same time everyday helps me tremendously. It’s as though my brain knows thats when it’s time to write. But mostly, I’m just hit or miss. 🙂
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Melissa Reply:
May 23rd, 2011 at 8:55 am
Yes! It’s all about training yourself and discipline, I guess. I’m still not into that “every day, same time” groove, though I know WHEN I want to do it. not sure that counts much :-).
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May 23rd, 2011 at 7:23 am
Great tips, Melissa! Flow comes and goes. It would be wonderful to learn to call it up more often. Need to print off these good common sense tips and post them on my office wall.
as the scorched desert dirt sends tendrils of earthy smoke from under my running shoes
Beautiful image. You were obviously in the flow when you wrote them 🙂
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Melissa Reply:
May 23rd, 2011 at 8:58 am
Thanks, Cynthia. I am printing them off as well, because I really want to master this. Your compliment about my imagery made my morning!
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May 23rd, 2011 at 7:34 am
What gorgeous photos! And great tips. For me, #2 is crucial: if I’m going to get in the flow, I have to step away from the online stuff.
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Melissa Reply:
May 23rd, 2011 at 8:59 am
Yes, #2 has been extremely difficult for me, but I notice that when I do go to my “writing studio on wheels” – the change of venue and the no ‘social-anything’ allowed rule seems to help SO much with productivity.
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May 23rd, 2011 at 9:16 am
I love all of these ideas. #2 is the hardest for me–embarrassingly so. It’s like, where is my self-control. It makes me feel like a petulant toddler.
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Melissa Reply:
May 23rd, 2011 at 9:20 am
Well, then I’m right there with you, toddling around. It seems to be my big downfall as well… On that note, social media is being turned off while I work on freelance this morning/afternoon.
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May 23rd, 2011 at 1:52 pm
Hey lady! Fabulous tips! I find that the first draft, or any new scenes, for that matter, are one big flooooow for me. I don’t usually get stalled until the rewrite process. It feels like work! So that’s when I have to un-twitter, FB, etc. Too tempting to give up rejiggering paragraphs and comment on fun blog posts. Uh oh….think I just got caught!!
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Melissa Reply:
May 23rd, 2011 at 4:10 pm
Oh how I wish it worked that way for me, Stephanie. Though, like you, I am not a fan of rewrites (though I ‘get’ their necessity) … maybe that’s why I try so hard to get it as close to “right” as I can upfront – because i fear the rewrite process. Hmm… now you’ve made ME think!
Ha.. yes, Twitter, email – all of it – can be such a delicious distraction, can’t it? Your secret is safe with me, though!
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May 23rd, 2011 at 3:44 pm
As an Arizonian myself, I just want to thank you for sharing some great photos of your area. My daughter is the “writer”, “All Different Kinds of Free”, so very proud; I am the “reader”.
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Melissa Reply:
May 23rd, 2011 at 4:11 pm
Hi Mary Ann,
Your fabulous writer-daugther is one of my best friends. You should be SO proud of her. Her book, ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF FREE, is fabulous. I hear your early reading habits encouraged her. So kudos to you both! Thanks for stopping by.
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May 23rd, 2011 at 5:09 pm
Great tips! And great pictures too. I don’t usually have “on” days, but longer stretches, like a week or two. I’m currently in the middle of a hot streak, actually 🙂
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May 23rd, 2011 at 5:09 pm
Melissa–number 7–you were talking to me, weren’t you?:) How did you know I was standing on a chair trying to get a good pic of our hummingbird feeder yesterday at four when I should have been writing! (Got a great pic, will post to all birders soon, btw).
I loved this post–and here’s why: I know that finding and keeping your flow is hugely important but from the time I was a little girl (and I remember this VIVIDLY) when I was drawing and a drawing was going well (which it rarely did), I would always get up out of my chair and move around, savoring that feeling, so even today when I write and the flow is going and going well, what do I do? KEEP WRITING? Nah! I get up, I flip around–crazy! It’s exactly the opposite I need to be doing, and yet, I am so conditioned to have that “breath.”
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Melissa Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 11:43 am
Call it intuition that I knew you were snapping bird photos (or call it a mirror image of myself!) Can’t wait to see your hummingbird photo.
I wanted to thank you, because I think you inadvertently gave me a sense of ‘freedom’ from your response: That it’s OK to “not” do it like everyone else. You see, I am the SAME way as you… flittering about in the midst of my ‘flow.’ I guess the bottom line is: do what works for you.
That being said, I will at least test out these flow techniques. Maybe you CAN teach an old broad – I mean, dog – new tricks (and I’m referring to myself as a broad, not you!). We shall see.
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May 23rd, 2011 at 6:30 pm
Great tips and great comparison (as always) to water in your dry desert. Harnessing the flow is something I’ve had to work at too. I’ve been to a few writer’s retreats and they encourage you to write in pen rather than on a computer. While I typically write everything on the computer, I do think there’s something to writing by hand. Things do flow. There’s less thinking about what you’re writing and going back to correct, because you just can’t. I’ve been happy with what’s come out of the writing retreats too. So perhaps for me, writing long hand is a way to harness the creativity!
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Melissa Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 11:49 am
Thanks, Leah. You answered a question I posted on Twitter about whether to take my laptop to a 3-day conference I’m attending this weekend. Maybe notepad and pen is best. And you’re right: when you’re freehand writing, there is no time to edit. You just have to go with the flow… I should add that to my list of suggestions above!
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Leah Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 1:12 pm
The only drawback about writing by hand is my right hand and upper arm was actually sore the next day. We’re just not used to writing that much by hand.
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May 24th, 2011 at 6:41 am
Yesterday as I read this post the sky was growling way off, and the breeze had that fresh wet smell. The breeze got wilder and wilder, and we were sure it would storm. Then the sun came out, as if laughing at us. Then it went back in. Came back out. Went back in.
We waited, but no storm lat evening. Now as I type, the sky isn’t growling much anymore–but the sun isn’t laughing at us either. The clouds are blessing us with rain in earnest, with not much ado.
I think it’s the “Give in” point you made that really works for me, Melissa. Often what I need to write will build up inside, but I just can’t seem get much more than a sentence or two down. That’s when I just pick the thought that inspired it, and run with that. Just give all I got to that one thought and let it lead me where it may.
Thanks for those beautiful photos of that thirsty land, quenched and colorful.
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Melissa Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 11:51 am
Loved your description, Shakirah. I felt like I was there (and felt oh-so-jealous)! I definitely need to master the “give in” technique. I’ve done it a few times, and it has been very fruitful. I just have to train myself to let it happen more often.
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May 24th, 2011 at 10:33 am
I definitely do not have flow mastered in any aspect of my life. I can do #1 and #4 easy-peasy. Recently I did have a moment have of total flow in writing and all those things happened to be present at that moment. But I didn’t set out trying to achieve them…otherwise I would have just been thinking about them…and not flowing.
I too write, edit, write, edit. I just can’t stop! Actually, I’ve gotten better but perfectionism dies hard.
I think the research first advice is really important because so often I’ll be writing along, come to place where I realize I don’t know enough about some town in Washington (or whatever) as I should, scurry off to do more research, and my flow has been broken!
I will do a rain dance for you.
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Melissa Crytzer Fry Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 11:59 am
Phrase of the day: perfectionism dies hard. Indeed! (And thanks for the rain dance)
I can SO relate to your comments about research; I have found myself in that situation many times. It TOTALLY kills the flow (and I’m so obsessive, I feel I can’t move on to the next sentence until I have the details to the last one complete – even if it requires some menial Google search for a type of tool, the color of a tree leaf, etc. I feel I need to get out there and find the answer right NOW, breaking ALL sense of flow).
What does this mean? I need A LOT of practice at going with the flow/getting into the zone (and maybe some counseling)!
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May 24th, 2011 at 2:34 pm
Nice tips, thanks! I practice all of those and getting into the zone is not that hard with them, but I’m find that freewriting, i.e. not editing myself or checking whether what I’m writing makes sense, is much harder!
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Melissa Crytzer Fry Reply:
May 24th, 2011 at 8:22 pm
I think freewriting is hard, too. I did try the early-morning, roll out of bed and “just write” kind of freewriting (before talking to anyone, before turning any technology on, etc). That was kind of easy, as my dreams produced lots of things to write about!
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May 25th, 2011 at 6:25 am
Good stuff! I recently had my flow disturbed… I blame the tornados and fleas. Plus, I’m going on vacation next week. But after that… everyone better watch out!
🙂
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Melissa Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 9:02 am
Well, if anyone has a good excuse, I think it’s you. Tornadoes, fleas … sounds apocalyptic. Oh wait .. that was supposed to happen last week.
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May 25th, 2011 at 10:56 am
A great post with good wisdom. I also like the tie-in to the Sonoran Desert, where I grew up, and the shout-out to one of my favorite Arizonans, Liz Massey!
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Melissa Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 8:52 pm
THanks for stopping by, Patrick. Good luck with your MFA! So happy to know you also know Liz!
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May 25th, 2011 at 4:57 pm
Oh boy, did I need to read this. That is exactly my problem right now. I got no flow! I need to work on all of the points you mentioned, especially 2 and 9. Between this and Sharon’s “Don’t” advice, I should be good to go.
I truly believe flow is something that is achievable but it takes discipline and practice.
So glad you posted this!
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Melissa Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 8:53 pm
I’m with you. Now we just have to figure out how to get the ‘discipline’ part right.
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May 25th, 2011 at 6:10 pm
State of Flow is my new mojo. I am off to research blueberry production in solitude. Let ‘er rip…will not be distracted by gorgeoous peach rock photo on this blog.
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Melissa Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 8:59 pm
Oh my… I needed that laugh, Jenny. Thanks (and glad you liked my peach rock. I was pretty proud of that pic!).
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May 26th, 2011 at 11:31 am
Great post, Melissa. I’m bookmarking the list as a reminder. Unplugging and taming distractions are the most difficult for me. I’m the worst multi-tasker ever! I am absolutely my most productive and “flowy” when I can eliminate outside noise. Love the pics as always and I’d send you some Maryland rain if I could. As long as you send it back when you’re monsoon season arrives 🙂
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Melissa Reply:
May 29th, 2011 at 2:52 pm
Thanks for stopping by, Cat. So happy this post was helpful … “unplugging the distractions” is a good way to put it. It’s something I must also work on. Ah… and if only you COULD send us some of your Md. rain…I’d happily send it back your way after monsoon season :-).
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May 26th, 2011 at 8:57 pm
I loved the reminders of how best to achieve flow.
I am VERY guilty of the write, edit, write, edit. A few days ago I told myself that I was just going to write.
I stepped away from the blog, twitter, facebook, etc…
I cranked out 6000 words in less than two days.
We should all probably have this list printed and pinned by our computers. As a gentle reminder. 🙂
(And LOVE your photos!)
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Melissa Reply:
May 29th, 2011 at 2:55 pm
Glad to know I am not the only neurotic edit-as-you-go type. But your unbelievable achievement – 6000 words in less than two days – is proof that flow can be accomplished when you LET it! Thanks for the inspiration. And many thanks for the photo compliments.
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May 27th, 2011 at 6:20 am
Interesting discussion, Melissa. The flow changes for me from month to month and project to project. I would say that most of the time I edit as I go, but lately I’ve been all about getting the words of the story/blog post/article down before they leave me.
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Melissa Reply:
May 29th, 2011 at 2:57 pm
So tell me .. how has the “getting the words of the story/blog/post/article ‘down'” going for you? Do you find you are more productive and ‘flowy?’ Has it been a tough adjustment, having been an edit-as-you-go gal?
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Amanda Hoving Reply:
May 31st, 2011 at 7:03 am
It’ going ok. It’s freeing in some ways, but in other ways it makes me think, “Boy, do I have a lot of work to do during revisions!” And I don’t like that feeling. For shorter pieces, it’s definitely the way to go for me. Not sold on it for novel-writing just yet.
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June 4th, 2011 at 11:50 am
Hey, thanks for the shout out! Flow is awesome! I always feel like I have so much more to learn about it, but it’s fun to enjoy the ride!
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Melissa Reply:
June 4th, 2011 at 12:05 pm
So welcome, Liz. Thank YOU for the intro, though I confess I am still at the infancy of “getting it” and applying it regularly. But you’ve got to start somewhere.
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