What exactly is creative flow?

How do I harness it?

I’ve been putting together a workshop that I’ll be teaching at Writing NSW in March, focusing on harnessing creative flow. I’ve been thinking a lot about my own nervous system and how it supports or doesn’t support my creativity. I’ve also been particularly interested in the writing processes and habits of other writers.

I’m developing a strong sense of what works for me and what I need to connect to this state. I need a place to write (it can be at home, in a cafe, in a library). I’ve realised I can tune out from my environment, so it doesn’t bother me if music is on, if people are talking, or there’s silence. Intention is key for me. These days, I set a time goal for my writing sessions. This helps me focus on what I’m working on.

My internal state is also important. If I have lots on my mind, or I’m worried about things, like The Bad Stuff, I can’t settle myself to write. Fortunately, this doesn’t happen all the time. My creative flow feels like this - excitement with a sense of anticipation, intense concentration and focus, a calmness inside myself, a feeling of timelessness (i.e. I’m always surprised when my timer sounds). There’s also certainty; it doesn’t matter if the phrasing isn’t quite right or the scene isn’t quite right. I feel certain about the direction of the scene and how the characters are behaving on the page. When I finish writing for the day, there is a deep sense of accomplishment and enjoyment, like I worked hard and achieved something.

I love hearing about others’ processes and what happens to them when they write. I can’t wait to hear what comes out of the workshop and what I learn from others. It’s so cool how we can incorporate someone else’s processes into our practice, making it richer and juicier.

I’ve also set a permanent time limit on how I use Instagram. This has helped so much with creative flow. I realised that when I felt stuck in writing, I would automatically open Instagram and start scrolling. I used to tell myself that I was thinking. Now, without it, my thinking time is actually that. I daydream, I think, I imagine, I write. For four days a week I am away from social media and it’s turning out to be a good decision for me and my practice.

I post on Instagram about books that I’ve loved. Here, I want to share books that provoked feelings and thoughts, but I didn’t necessarily love. So, here goes.

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai - I had lots of mixed feelings. The prose is beautiful, and I liked getting to know the characters really well. Ultimately, I loved the themes in this novel - home, belonging, family, but it felt bloated towards the end. It felt like it became about lots of other things, and I felt a little lost towards the end. It’s a long read, and I still think it’s worth the effort, but not up there for me.

Books I’m currently reading:

Gather Up Your World in One Long Breath by S. Shakthidharan

Nurturing Resilience: Helping Clients Move Forward from Developmental Trauma by Kathy Kain & Stephen Terrell

Rereading - Persuasion by Jane Austen

On my TBR pile:

Chosen Family by Madeleine Gray

What We Can Know by Ian McEwan

Cactus Pear for my Beloved by Samah Sabawi

Thanks for subscribing to the Write Reads. You’ll hear from me next month.