“You know you’re an author when staring into space does not necessarily mean you’re not working” — RE

Recently, My Guy and my nine-year-old son plotted and played a prank on me while I was preoccupied…in my “writing zone.” (Which turns out to be very telling, as you’ll see.)

First, though, when I'm staring off into space — which happens quite frequently and at any time, anywhere — it doesn't mean I'm not working.

In fact, it is a tell-tale sign that I’m a damn writer and AM working.

I AM, in fact, working really hard when I’m in front of my computer, even if it appears like I’m staring off into space. Or daydreaming wherever I happen to be at any given time, like waiting in a line at check-out; in an elevator, where I will totally miss my floor; or while driving, when I stop at a red light or idle at a stop sign for an inappropriate amount of time, until someone starts honking manically to bring me back to reality. (Disclaimer: Don’t write and drive!)

My kids learned from an early age to recognize when I'm in la-la-writer-daydreaming thinking mode. My daughter, before she understood this out-to-lunch expression, used to ask me, “What are you thinking about?” To which my answer would usually be, “Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to make my face out loud.”

Many authors would agree that the writing process could be broken down like this: 50% actual writing, 40% staring at your computer, looking like you’re daydreaming when, in reality, you are thinking — like just the other day, I was thinking of a better way to describe someone eating a piece of toast. (And 10% goes to distracting yourself through social media or online shopping.)

Authors who look like they are asleep with their eyes wide open are probably imagining and re-imaging scenarios or possible plot twists.

But hardly any writer — aspiring or published — knows how to get in "the zone" to produce top-quality written material effortlessly. The concept of being in said zone for an author is very much like the state an athlete strives to achieve for peak performances or competitions — that place beyond all the effort, where time is meaningless and everything just…flows. Oh, what a beautiful thing that is.

All writers want this kind of magic. We all covet those rare moments when we sit down, the words just flow, and our ideas are actually so brilliant that our fingers have to fight to keep up with the immense inspiration pouring through our brains onto the screen. Yes, as a writer, getting in “the zone” is the holy grail.

This is the part of the creative writing process we all fall in love with. It’s what keeps us going.

The only problem is, we never quite know when it’s going to hit or how long it will last. Or when it will return. (If ever!)

So, we do the only thing we can do: wait (and pray) for the magic to come.

Well, I, for one, am not very good at being patient. But if you’re a writer and this is a skill you’d like to master? Keep reading.

I couldn’t help but write about why I won’t ever date authors. My Guy — a tax litigator — shares three pros and cons about being in a relationship with me, a full-time career writer, which you can scroll back later to read here.

I’ve recently been spending a lot more time writing at My Guy’s place while he works in his home office down the hallway. I think I know I can safely say that he’d add one more negative about being in a relationship with me, a full-time writer.

At least three or four times throughout the day — while he’s concentrating and focused on lawyerly stuff — I’ll scream out random questions to him like, “Hey, babe! How would you describe popcorn without using the word ‘popcorn?’”

Or I’ll text him, even though he’s across the hall: I just had an important thought. I need to type before I forget! Do you think a hotdog could be toasted like a slice of bread in a toaster oven?

When I ask these questions, I am thinking about setting the scene, dialogue, and characters — things I need to know because the character may wonder about them too. And yes, this leaves My Guy to also now be immersed in thought along with me: “I'm not sure! Should we try to toast a hotdog?” and “Hmm, how would I describe popcorn without using ‘popcorn?’” We both know he really should be doing his important lawyer stuff, which does not include me preoccupying his time with my random, incidental and odd questions. I probably make him feel like I’m giving him multiple pop quizzes (thereby inciting him to perhaps rethink us working under the same roof.)

But in my writer’s mind, these questions that I’m daydreaming thinking about are totally reasonable. I believe the answers to some of the questions I ask My Guy may help solve some of the universe’s biggest mysteries.

So, I try to maintain a healthy dose of daydreaming to remain sane. But…

There is something even better than staring off to space thinking for writers. Which is being able to get into “the writing zone.”

Getting into “the writing zone” is not just hard, or a hurdle, or a hill to climb, for most writers.

In fact, marrying a dentist and having to pretend to floss your teeth twice a day for the rest of your life would be easier than getting into “the writing zone.” (If “the writing zone” were an exclusive club, it would be almost impossible to get into; there would be application processes, nominating committees, annual dues, dress codes, and a secret doorway and handshake.)

Unfortunately for writers, getting into the “writing zone” is not something that comes easily, and certainly not often enough for our liking.

That being said, getting into the “writing zone” — on-demand — is, indeed, possible. So, this week, I’m going to share some tips to help you get into this wonderful, often elusive state that every author dreams of.

When I find myself in the “writing zone” — a psychological state — it is unlike any other feeling I’ve ever experienced.

It’s also very difficult to describe, except to say it just feels that I’m in an extremely positive and relaxed mindset. I know I’m in a peak writing performance state, banging out words almost like I’m on autopilot. This can last hours. I get so immersed that someone could be robbing my house, and I wouldn’t notice. A baby could be screeching at my feet. I wouldn’t notice. Someone could ring my doorbell 65 times in a row. I wouldn’t know. Someone could even drive a garbage truck into my living room, but if I’m in my “writing zone,” I wouldn’t flinch.

Being in the “writing zone” feels just so, so good, I’d even give up one of my kid’s kidneys in exchange to be able to slip into it on-demand, to be laser-focused on the page in front of me.

I can’t always count on that zone to just magically appear. It’s unreliable at best.

Most writers I’ve had convos with (including me to myself) feel that the “writing zone” is this far-off fantastical place that we’re lucky if we stumble into every now and again (and always when we’re not looking for it). It’s like going out looking fabulous, and you see no one you know. But when you go out for five minutes dressed like crap, it’s a goddamn reunion.

An author might be able to get into the "zone" the same way an athlete achieves their peak performance. So, I did a lot of research on how athletes get into their “zones,” and I think writers can learn a whole lot from them.

To show you exactly how preoccupied, focused and truly immersed I get while in my “writing zone,” I’ll tell you how My Guy and my nine-year-old son recently played a not-so-nice trick on me while I was clearly in the “writing zone” that will illustrate exactly how nothing else matters (or exists) when I’m in this state.

I was banging away in total writing zone mode. Apparently, I did not hear any of the following sentences that were being YELLED at me:

My Guy: “Rebecca! There’s an Iguana right at your foot!” (Didn’t hear that!)

My Son: “Mommy! There’s a huge snake inside!” (Didn't hear that, and I’m terrified of snakes!)

My Guy: “I brought you back McDonald’s French Fries.” (Nope. Didn’t even hear that!)

My Son: “Mommy, I just found this pile of money!” (Nope. Not that either!)

My Guy: “Babe, I’m about to have a heart attack. I think we won the $20 million-dollar lottery this week.” (Nope. No clue he had said this.)

My Son: “Mommy, look! It’s Rowan!”

Only upon hearing my daughter’s name did I notice their presence. I immediately looked up and said, “Where’s Rowan?”

They broke down in hysterical giggles at my expense when out of all of those sentences, the only one that could get me out of my “writing zone" was my daughter’s name. Apparently, even though I knew my daughter was in Aspen, the mention of her name is the only thing that will instantaneously put an end to my writing streak.

Well, maybe that’s because my daughter, Rowan, has literally saved my life on multiple occasions when I’m daydreaming and thinking about writing, which again, is almost always. I never knew how dangerous daydreaming about writing or being in the “writing zone” actually was. And I’m not even being dramatic or exaggerating.

I have been so deep in thought about a scene or how a book I’m reading could be structured differently that I have, on many occasions, just started walking across busy streets, not realizing that I’m about to die. Honestly, I am lucky to be alive.

I can’t count the number of times I’m daydreaming thinking about a scene that needs to be added in one of my books or blogs, and my daughter literally yanks me back onto the curb to safety, screaming, “You didn’t even look both ways! Pay attention! You almost got hit by a bus!”

On a less dangerous note, my daughter will get just as annoyed with me at the cash register. I’ll have placed a coffee order and paid, and Rowen will be all like, “Mommy, pay attention! You’ve already paid — you’re holding up the entire line!”

And I’ll whisper back to her, “Did I pay? And what did I even order?” Her response is usually a huge sigh and an eye roll, and then a shove over to the side to wait for our order.

At home, let’s just say it’s not at all unusual for one of my kids to say, “Mommy, you put your cup of coffee in the fridge again! I think you meant to put it in the microwave to reheat, right?”

If I’ve been in the “writing zone,” I’ll look at the clock and think, “Wow. It’s fucking 4:30 p.m. already. And I thought I had put that coffee cup in the microwave…at 9:00 a.m. I just totally forgot about it.”

My kids’ default response: shake their heads, roll their eyes, and sigh.

Unfortunately, my kids are smart too — smart enough to know now when I'm in my “writing zone,” they can ask me anything that they want, and I’ll say yes.

This is why my nine-year-old is getting a phone for his next birthday and why, pre-Covid, I ended up with 18 teenagers — my daughter’s friends — sleeping over one night. And surprise, I don't remember saying yes to a sleepover party or agreeing to buy a phone for my kid’s birthday. Who knows what else I’ve agreed to do when I’m in my writing state.

Being in the writer’s zone, or daydreaming about a perfect title for a book, interferes with my social life. Often, I wonder whether people think I’m being rude when we’re out to dinner and I don’t say much. It’s not because I don’t find their convo interesting, or that I have nothing to contribute. It’s because I’m probably thinking about a possible story idea or something I had just read an hour earlier that resonated with me.

This is why the people who know me best KNOW that at all times, I’m only 80% present, and that 20% of my brain is away — off in la-la-writer-daydreaming thinking mode. Because of this, my daughter wasn’t worried that I'd miss her when she went off to college.

She was worried that there would be no one around when I’m in my "writing zone” and god forbid there was a fire. So, I’ll get texts from her now like, “I joined the cheese club. I love you. Go upstairs and unplug your hair straightener! And if you go out, make sure you pay attention to the roads!”

In these instances, she treats me like I’m 90 and living alone rather than treat me like…an author.

In any case, great writing isn’t dependent on some mysterious, external force. The state you’re in, above all else, is what will determine the quality and productivity of your writing. The Ancient Greeks called it listening to your muse, which I kinda love!

Now, most athletes will also say they cannot predict when their optimal performances will happen or if they’ll manage to get in the “zone.” In other words, athletes agree they might not be able to control when they’ll reach peak performance.

Although, ironically, elite athletes report feeling a sense of control while competing, be it a tennis match or a game of golf, although they are not acutely aware of feeling in control while performing.

Honestly, writers can learn a lot from how athletes get in their “zones” to help get into the “writing zone!”

I’ve put together some tips and tactics on getting in “the writing zone” based on my own experiences and the athletes I’ve read about. So, when you face days or weeks of writer’s block, or you’re on a tight deadline, or you just want to keep your novel moving forward, or you just want to start writing at all, this is sure to help.

I can’t promise that you’ll always get into the zone, but still. These are takeaways that will at least help get you into a desirable state of being.

Getting into the "writing zone” — on-demand — is possible. So, check out part two of this article, where I list 15 tactics to get you focused, enhance your creativity, and become a writing machine by getting into that magical “writing zone.”

Until next time, flip your hair and flip the page! (And remember, we authors may look like we’re not working, but we’re probably trying to figure out if you can toast a hotdog!)

xo

Rebecca