Writing in Flow: Keys to Enhanced Creativity

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Overview

What is flow? For writers, it's the sense of inspired freedom that comes when they completely lose themselves in their writing, allowing time, duty and worry to melt away. Words flow out in a continuous, creative stream. Also known as "the writer's high" it's the one thing our focus groups consistently site as the most satisfying aspect of writing--as well as the most difficult to achieve.

Writing in Flow addresses the elusive phenomenon of "writer's high," showing writers how to achieve and maintain a sense of flow in their own work. Dr. Susan Perry leads writers through an in-depth analysis of flow, from defining what it is to making it happen--even when facing writer's block. Throughout this groundbreaking book, more than 75 best-selling and award-winning writers reveal their techniques for enhancing their writing creativity and productivity.

About the Author:

Susan K. Perry, Ph.D., is a social psychologist who teaches writing at UCLA Extension's Writers' Program and psychology at Woodbury University.

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Editorial Reviews

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Going with the Flow

Flow. The zone. Ecstasy. Finding the magic. The writer's high.

Call it what you want, but it's still the same thing. It's that consciousness-altering state in writers that is almost a form of hypnosis. It's a creative buzz, a flow of words and meaning that so takes over the mind, the writer is oblivious to everything -- the passage of time, bodily aches and pains, even nearby disturbances. It's an intense, almost sexual state that causes notable physiological changes. And while it's as common to writers as a love of words, it is difficult to define and even harder to harness. Yet harness and define it are exactly what Susan K. Perry does in her book Writing in Flow: Keyes to enhanced Creativity.

Perry is a social psychologist who teaches at UCLA Extension's highly esteemed Writers' Program. In writing the book, Perry applied the theories of flow developed by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and interviewed more than 75 bestselling and award-winning authors, including Sue Grafton, Michael Connelly, Faye Kellerman, Jonathan Kellerman, Donald Hall, and Jane Smiley. These authors' thoughts and perspectives on creativity, productivity, and process provide much of the framework for Perry's in-depth analysis of the flow state. Perry then pulls it all together and presents it in a way designed to imbue readers with the motivation, understanding, and attitude necessary to identify and harness their own flow.

The book is organized into three sections. The first, "An Ode to Flow," pinpoints the defining characteristics of flow, its effect on writers, and the results it produces. In the second part of the book, Perry provides her five "Master Keys" to entering flow during writing: 1) having a reason to write, 2) thinking like a writer, 3) loosening up, 4) focusing in, and 5) finding balance in opposites. The keys may sound simplistic on the surface, but Perry's exploration of each is thorough and comprehensive. She supports each point with relevant quotes from the contributing writers and peppers each chapter with Q&A text blocks that deal with some common issues. At the end of each chapter are helpful exercises and provocative questions designed to demonstrate that chapter's principles and concepts. The third section of the book is devoted to making flow happen, as Perry explores such things as rituals and routines, music versus silence, meditation, environment, and writer's block.

If it is possible to capture the essence of flow, Perry has done it. Writing in Flow would be a welcome companion on any writer's bookshelf. The anecdotal support from Perry's vast field of experts not only provides insight into flow, but the vast disparities of their experiences should provide reassurance that there is no one right way to do it, that the writing process is as individual and unique to each writer as his or her fingerprints. So whether a writer needs encouragement, a break out of writer's block, a subconscious tickle to get started in the morning, or simply to improve productivity, this book can do it. It's the perfect mix of inspiration and perspiration.

—Beth Amos

Beth Amos is the author of several mainstream suspense thrillers, including Second Sight, Eyes of Night, and Cold White Fury.

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Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780898799293
Publisher: F+W Media, Inc.
Publication date: 6/15/1999
Pages: 274
Product dimensions: 6.28 (w) x 9.25 (h) x 1.04 (d)

Read an Excerpt

An interview with the author Susan K. Perry, Ph.D.

Q. What is flow?

A: Flow is a delightful and enjoyable state entered into when you're so deeply immersed in whatever you're doing, you forget yourself and everything around you. It feels as though the words are just coming by themselves, effortlessly. One of the most universal aspects of being in flow is an alteration of time. You suddenly look up and say to yourself, ""Huh? I thought it was only lunchtime!"" It's common to produce your best and most creative work in a flow state.

Q. How did you decide to write a book on writing in flow?

A. Flow feels so good, and is such an amazing place to write from, that I wanted to know more about it. Some people get into flow very easily, in writing and in life. It's much harder for me and I wanted to learn to make it easier--for anyone.

Q. Who did you talk to while researching this book?

A. Even though this book began as a doctoral dissertation, I thought it would be a great read for other writers struggling with Flow. That's why I sought out so many talented writers. Interviewees include Jane Smiley, Sue Grafton, Michael Connelly, Robert Olen Butler, Octavia Butler, Ursula Le Guin, and Jonathan and Faye Kellerman, to name a few. I also spoke with many prize-winning poets from Donald Hall to Robert Pinsky.

Q. What can you say about writer's block?

A. The most startling fact about writer's block is that the most productive writers usually find a way to reframe it for themselves. They learn to see periods of not writing and not being able to write as necessary to their overall process. In my book I suggest numerous ways any writer can try to get the juices flowing again.

Q. What was the most surprising thing you learned while researching the book?

A. Novelists have more fun. Or, to be accurate, those who are open to being their most creative selves have more fun. I learned that it is possible to take some of that creative impulse and apply it to ANY kind of writing, to find the fun and the flow in whatever you're writing. Indeed, in whatever you're doing throughout your life. I've become a real flow fanatic.

Q. How about giving us the lessons of the whole book in a sound byte?

A. The essential heart of Writing in Flow is that there are five ""master keys"" to entering flow. First you have to think like a writer by adopting a certain set of attitudes. Learning to be more open to experience, for example, can make a big difference in how easily and often you'll enter flow. You need a darn good reason to write, so you'll be motivated to persist through the toughest challenges. You must figure out ways to loosen up, and then to focus in on the work. I asked my interviewees what kinds of exercises and activities actually work for them to get them ""in the mood"" to be inspired. And finally, the most successful writers have learned to balance among the opposites of being in control and out of control, writing by will or by inspiration, and being aware of audience and putting all thoughts of eventual readers aside.

Q. This sound a little mystical. Is it?

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Foreword by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Introduction

Part One

An Ode to Flow

Chapter One

Oh, To Be in Flow Now That April's There
Three Kinds of Writers

How Flow Occurs

Classic Flow

The Benefits of Writing in Flow
Stopping Time

Chapter Two
What Flow In Writing Feels Like
Where Flow Fits into the Creative Writing Process

When Time Stops

Losing--and Finding--the Self

Metaphors to Write By

Moving From Here to Where

Water and Assorted Images

When Flow Isn't ""Flow""
The Physical Experience of Flow
The Sexiness of Flow

Part Two
The Master Keys to Flow Entry in Writing

Chapter Three

Key One: Have a Reason to Write
Believing Might Make It So

The Inside Story

Feedback Loop

Writing Matters
Mystery, Surprise and Challenge
Beating Boredom
Is the Mind Half Full? And Other Reasons to Write
When Deadlines Help
Your Reward or Mine?
Turning Key One

Chapter Four
Key Two: Think Like a Writer
Is There a Creative Writer's Personality?
The Natural Writer
Open to Experience
Take a Risk
Fully Absorbed
From Resilient to Confident
Not Too Mad or Manic
Turning Key Two

Chapter Five
Key Three: Loosen Up
Loose as a Cat's Shimmer
Crossing Boundaries
Play With Words
Turning Key Three

Chapter Six
Key Four: Focus In
Pay Attention to Attention
Trance or Flow?
Find the Silent Center
Turning Key Four

Chapter Seven
Key Five: Balance Among Opposites
In or Out of Control?
To Think or Not to Think
Will or Inspiration?
Who's Watching?
Turning Key Five

Part Three
Making Flow Happen

Chapter Eight

Everything You Wanted to Know About Writing in Flow

When and How Often Does Flow Begin?

How Long Do Writers Write and Stay in Flow

How Does the Context of a Writer's Life Affect Flow?
Are There Different Kinds of Flow?
Are There Atypical Flow Experiences?

Chapter Nine
Specific Techniques for Luring Flow
Rituals and Routines

Away with Clutter (Maybe)

Timing Matters

Just Do It

Hearing and Seeing Things

Musical Aids

Simple Silence
Meditation
Going Back to Go Forward
Allegiance to the Tools of the Trade
Reading to Write
Walking Toward Flow
Eating and Drinking
Stopping Today to Start Easily Tomorrow
Miscellaneous Methods

Chapter Ten
Learning to Flow Past Blocks
A Difference of Opinion About Writer's Block
Why Writing Doesn't Happen
Learning to be a Better Writer
Breaking Your Blocks
Final Thoughts

Appendix
The Art of Studying the Writer's Art
Questions and More Questions

Are These Writers Representative
Talking About Flow
Analyzing the Data

Writers Who Participated
Notes

References

Index

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Introduction

Flow is a relatively new term for an essential and universal human experience. You know you've been in flow when time seems to have disappeared. When you're in flow, you become so deeply immersed in your writing, or whatever activity you're doing, that you forget yourself and your surroundings. You delight in continuing to write even if you get no reward for doing it - monetary or otherwise - and even if no one else cares whether you do it.

You feel challenged, stimulated, definitely not bored. Writing in flow, you're often certain you're tapping into some creative part of yourself - or of the universe - that you don't have easy access to when you're not in this altered state. Sports figures call this desired condition being "in the zone."

Many books have been written that claim to offer the one true way to write, or, at best, the several true ways to write. Some of these may even be helpful for entering flow. Many concentrate on particular aspects of writing fluency, advising you to "let go," or "write from the heart." I believe that each of these advice books leaves out crucial information. This book differs from others in that it is not based on one person's secrets of success, but rather on the widely varying secrets used by many successful writers.

You can also, as I did, read hundreds of interviews and profiles of writers in which some aspects of the creative writing experience are mentioned. Until now no one has systematically collected information or looked for underlying patterns about writing in flow, which is the most likely and enjoyable psychological state from which creative work emerges. One of the age-old questions is "Do we have any control over the muse?" By asking writers how they prepare to write, and also how they believe they enter flow, I sought to discover if those preparations were the keys to flow. What does a creative writer experience in the days, hours, or moments just before the shift into flow begins? Is at sudden or is there a slide along a continuum of consciousness? Might there be larger themes that connect the many personalized ways various writers have found to induce flow? How much control can a creative writer have over flow entry and thus, perhaps, over the so-called muse herself?

I investigated poets, short story writers, and novelists for whom writing is a major part of their lives (although not all of them make their living at it), and who, in most cases, enter flow with some frequency too. Participants included both those who publish literary work and writers who write in popular genres such as mystery or science fiction. I studied those who are succeeding in their chosen field. Among them are half a dozen Pulitzer Prize winners, as well as writers who have received American Book Awards, National Book Awards, Pushcart Prizes, Guggenheims, National Endowment for the Arts Awards, MacArthur Fellowships, and Nebula and Hugo Awards. Several have appeared on national bestseller lists. Former and current U.S. Poet Laureates participated. Each is producing written work regularly and getting it published regularly also.

While at least one researcher has found that few individuals can easily describe their entry into flow, on the contrary, my interviewees did talk about it - with delight, at length, and in many instances, with extraordinary insight. And regardless of whether writers are more psychologically astute than other creators, they are certainly more articulate and original in the way they express themselves.

As no two writers are alike and no two person's needs, personalities, personal histories, or tendencies are identical, so too, your preferred manner of flow entry may be entirely different from the way others do it. Nevertheless, I have found that all of the methods used by writers have certain aspects in common, certain purposes they fulfill. Once you understand how flow entry happens to contemporary writers struggling with real-life jobs, families, insecurities, and fears, you can choose to try several routes and determine for yourself what works for you.

Whether you're a poet, novelist, short-story writer, essayist, or creative nonfiction writer - whether you are just starting out or are already an accomplished writer - you will learn ways to enter flow and enjoy writing more.

This book is primarily based on an intensive study I completed for my doctoral dissertation. It also includes material from additional research I performed later. Social scientists, psychologists, and other research-minded readers who are interested in how I chose my interviewees and how I arrived at my assertions and conclusions may read the detailed chapter in the Appendix describing how I conducted the research. Chapter 1 describes the various attitudes writers have about how much control it's possible to have over the creative process. Here you'll also gain a much deeper understanding of what flow is and what the benefits of writing in flow are. Chapter 2 zeroes in on what the experience of flow is like in writing, with examples of the many metaphors writers use in thinking about the shift into the altered state. This information will help you recognize your flow experiences, which is valuable for increasing them.

Part Two is the core of the book, where you will begin to learn the answer to the question: How can I make the shift into the timeless, totally engaged state of writing in flow? If you're like the vast majority of writers, you maneuver into a writing session with a particular pattern of thought - which some think of, paradoxically, as non-thought - and with the help of a routine. Such routines often include one or more rituals, however brief and unremarkable the rituals may be. I'll share with you what I discovered about what deeper purposes are being served by each of these habits of thinking, routines, and rituals. After collecting a vast amount of information from writers, I divided these deeper purposes into five Master Keys. Each Key is based on one or more of the elements of flow that most intimately affect the creative writing process.

The first two Keys, "Have a Reason to Write" and "Think Like a Writer" are part of your whole self and way of relating to the world. They involve aspects of your life that are relevant to the process prior to any particular writing session. The last three are concurrent to the actual writing itself: "Loosen Up," "Focus In," and "Balance among Opposites." All three of these need to come into play very near the time you begin to write -and throughout the process - if you are to enter flow and stay there for some time during that session.

Each of these Master Keys blends into the next and back again, in a cyclical system. Thus, for example, I talk about planning in Key One, as part of the motivation and challenge involved in getting started. Planning (or letting go of one's plans) will also be mentioned in Key Three, as part of the loosening-up process, and again in Key Five, where it relates to how "in control" you are while writing. Another example is challenge: it's a motivator, leading you toward greater interest in your work, which helps your focusing-in process, which may also relate back to an increased sense of confidence, and so on.

These Master Keys might be thought of as skills or as capacities or as attitudes - each is needed for the best writing. Five chapters discuss each Key in turn, from having a strong enough reason to write and thinking like a writer, to loosening up, focusing in, and balancing among several contradictory opposites. You will discover which of the Master Keys you have most control over, and you will also learn how to affect even those aspects that seem most resistant to change.

In Part Three, we get to the specific techniques writers use to make flow happen. Chapter 8 answers the intriguing quantitative questions, such as how long writers write and how much of that time is spent in flow. Here you'll learn that you can be a successful writer whether you work on your novel for a half hour a day or you lose yourself in a trance for three days at a time. Chapter 9 details each of the many idiosyncratic ways scribes have found to shift into the that lovely state of consciousness in which the work proceeds smoothly. Chapter 10 tells how major writers avoid, reframe, or cope with writer's block, and how you can learn to flow past such blocks to be a better writer.

Interspersed throughout the chapters are the answers to questions that have come to me from students, friends, and others who have heard of my flow research. However unique your life circumstances and writing experiences may be, you'll learn that others have dealt with analogous quandries. By sharing their problems and a variety of possible solutions with you, I believe you, too, will discover ways to enhance your own creativity and enjoy the benefits of flow.

Award-winning writers offer tips and exercises for getting in the flow:
Rage, fury, and revenge are huge emotions you can use to loosen up your writing, according to novelist Margot Livesey (Criminals). Write a character description (or a poem) from the point of view of one character detesting another.

Memoirist and fiction writer Bernard Cooper finds this one useful: Write down the story you've been telling people over and over, a story that irritates or amuses or has gotten into your craw in some way, a story that is so strange or so outrageous that you have to keep telling it to kind of corroborate what's happening with yourself. Such an exercise tends to get you writing very loosely and quickly.

Pulitzer prize winning poet Henry Taylor suggests this exercise for loosening yourself: "Remember how it feels to suddenly think of one of the most embarrassing moments in your life: how it surfaces without being invited and makes your skin crawl, and you may have to pull over on the shoulder for a second and compose yourself, but you mash the thing back down into the subconscious where it damn well belongs, and get on with the day. Okay. This time, write it down. Make sure you linger lovingly over the painful details."

Novelist and short story writer Merrill Joan Gerber suggests inspiring your story by thinking of a "hot spot," something that happened in the past that still compels your attention, something that attracts your thoughts over and over, an incident, a fright, an argument, an insult, some mystery in a relationship that hasn't been solved or is still exciting over time.

A loosening exercise used by novelist Nora Okja Keller (Comfort Woman) with her students is to begin with a family story, or some gossip you have heard. Write another version of it, from behind the scenes. Or write out a dream you had, then pare it down and shape it.

Write something almost diametrically opposed to what you've been comfortable writing up to now. "The idea," says Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, author of Sister of My Heart and Mistress of Spices, "is not necessarily, don't write what you know, but try to look at it from a whole other angle. Write about someone who is absolutely not yourself."

Excerpted from Writing in Flow by Susan K. Perry, Ph.D.
copyright 1999, Writer's Digest Books. Not to be reprinted in any form without express written permission of the publisher.

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Anonymous

Posted December 21, 1999

Sound practical tips

I am a fulltime writer and found Susan's book very helpful. She offers plenty of doable exercises at the end of each chapter to help apply the book to your own experience. I found the chapters at the end dealing with jumpstarting flow very helpful -- she talks about using ritual, involving the senses, figuring out and exploiting your timing and dumping whatever doesn't work (like clutter). The book also includes tons of examples from every kind of writer -- from unpublished to top of the heap...these writers provide much insight and tips of their own. An excellent read and a must for writers.
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Writing in Flow: Keys to Enhanced Creativity

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Sound practical tips