IN THE ZONE
Don't you like the idea of being in 'the zone' when you are writing? You know what I mean that state when your fingers doing the talking and all you do is sit there, your eyes half closed, seeing the story unfold in your head as you madly type in the words.
Okay, so I'm talking about something you only dream of, or perhaps an experience you've had far too seldom.
I've been there, though. It's a lovely place to be. The characters are talking and walking in my mind like a movie. And I'm simply taking dictation. As Anne Lamott says, "I've always sort of believed that these people inside of me--these characters--know who they are and what they're about and what happens, and they need me to help get it down on paper because they don't type."
How do you get into that frame of mind? Is it possible even when you are pressured by life, annoyed by interruptions and just plain don't feel like it? Not today, muse. I've got a headache (I'm too tired, too busy, I have a toe ache, whatever).
I can't say it's always possible to work your way around your feelings or trick your muse, but there are a few little tools that might help.
1.Write your way into the scene.
Tell yourself this isn't real writing. It's just for fun. It's just to prove to yourself and any interested observer that you are indeed a writer and you're writing. So open up a new document. Set your font to something you don't usually use and single space it. There isn't magic in these little things but somehow, because it doesn't look like the usual page it makes it easier to pretend it isn't real writing. Set your timer for twenty minutes and begin. Write about your scene. Who is in it? Why? What do you want to do? How would you explain it to a friend? Which brings me to an alternate form of this. Write about your problem scene in an email to a friend. Mail it or delete it.
Usually, before the timer goes off, or the email has left cyberspace, I have discovered what it is I'm trying to say.
Another way to write your way into the scene that is very effective is to switch to first person POV for one of your characters and have them tell you the scene. You might be surprised at how great this works.
2. Use a scene-plotting card.
I have a cardstock scene-plotting card that I always keep by my computer. Simply, it is a list of things that a scene has to do. Things like what is the goal of the scene for you as the author? Who is the POV character? What is her/his goal, motivation, conflict and disaster in the scene. Disaster can also be thought of as change, but something has to happen or why is the scene there? Then I go on to the sensesall of them. Get the details. Get the specifics. I move on to feelings, emotions, dialogue, action, etc. By this time I may have several pages of notes and hopefully a scene that is so vivid in my mind that I can close my eyes and take dictation as my characters move through the pages.
3. Interview your character.
Sometimes the problem is I'm trying to move my characters to do something they don't want to do. In a book, First Chapter The Canadian Writers Photography Project by Don Denton, Wayson Choy says "...write and rewrite until each character breathes life. Hone each sentence so that the words are animated by the character's deepest motives rather than your wishful thinking."
So sit out under a shady tree with the ocean waves licking at your feet and ask your character questions. You might even want to prepare as you would for a real interview. Try starting with things that don't matter to the scene such as what's your favorite color? What did you have for lunch? What are your plans for the evening? And then move on to the whats and whys you need to understand for the scene.
4. Try creating an environment that's stimulating to your imagination.
Try candles, scents, mood music. Have you discovered a song that somehow, for some inexplicable reason, symbolizes this story? Maybe you need to. Is there a scent that takes you into this story? A candle that makes you feel like you're there? Try out various things and see what works for you.
5. Try changing your environment.
Try a different venue. Sit out under the trees. Go to the coffee shop. Lock yourself in your writing space and put on earphones.
Try a different writing instrument. Switch to paper and pencil. Use your Alpha Smart. Use a hand recorder and speak the story.
6. Make lists.
Debbie Macomber is credited with the idea of making a list of twenty things. Try twenty ways to please his lover. Twenty ways to show she's changed for the better. Twenty things they could do to bring them together. Twenty ways to up the tension. Just make lists. Sometimes it helps to list what happens next. Just a word or two to try and sort it out.
7. Try creative imagination.
Cara Colter led us through an exercise I found valuable. And for me, it worked differently than she suggested. She had us do some deep breathing and then some creative visualization. In our imagination, we walked up a sweeping set of stairs to our perfect writing environment. After enjoying a few minutes of luxuriating in such wonderful surroundings, we were instructed to pick up a lamplike an Aladdin lamp, and dream of what we wanted most. Now here is where it worked differently for me. I rubbed the lamp and my story world appeared. I figuratively stepped into my story. I could smell it, feel it, hear my characters talking and thinking. Try some sort of relaxation techniques, creative visualization. Experiment and discover what works for you.
8. Try napping
This works. Really. First, you might be too tired to think clearly. Second, writers make up stories in their heads as they lay on their beds. Sure they do. I know it. That's where I created my first stories. I was just a kid but I still remember the tall, blond hero who owned the big ranch house on top of the hill. I, of course, was the heroine. As well, our subconscious is always working the girls in the basement as Jennifer Cruise describes it. Sometimes we need to get out of the way so they can work. And then let them tell us what it is they're doing. It helps to keep a pen and paper close by when you're napping creatively. And a lighted pen for the nighttime visits by the creative girls in the basement.
9. Walking
Just think of the benefits of this one. A long leisurely, or vigorous walk as we mull over the story and let the movie roll in our minds. We come home refreshed, exercised and ready to let our fingers get to work. Again, it might be handy to take along some paper and a pen, or a mini-recorder.
10. Go for a long bus ride or plane ride.
Go with the cheaper carriers so there isn't a movie on board. Take a notebook, some preliminary notes, charts or whatever works for you. There's now nothing to do but concentrate on your writing. Between here and Toronto or here and northern Alberta if you're bussing you can get a lot of work done.
11. Okay, you can't afford the time and money to take trips just to be able to write. So duplicate the atmosphere.
Find a chair, settle down with snacks and drinks, and pop on earphones. I have 'writing' music but whatever works for you. You can even get CDs and tapes that have only white sound on them.
I am now at the place where I can pop on my earphones, play some background music (no words) and everyone, including myself, gets the message: I can't hear you and I don't want to hear you. I am hard at work. Amazing how well it works most days.
12. And last, but by far not least, sometimes we need to stop and assess why this scene doesn't come.
What isn't working? Have we asked our characters to do something out of character? Have we started at the wrong place? Are we using the wrong character to tell us what's happening? Are things in the wrong order? I often find if I can't see a scene, or it won't let me write it, it's because it's wrong. It's hard to decide when this is the case or when I'm just procrastinating but if I wait, or write around the scene, or do several false starts or go have a nap, it will usually hit meI can't write this scene because it isn't working. It isn't right. I need to learn to hear that voice and listen to it.
Or conversely, are we trying to write something that doesn't suit our voice. Or perhaps, we've turned writing into a chore. Come on, people. Let's have fun and enjoy our writing. Even those scenes where we have to do something awful to our characters because weas gods of our storiesknow it's really for their good.
So have fun getting into the zone. Find fun ways of stimulating your creativity. Most of all enjoy your writing.
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