How to Achieve Creative Flow

flow focus the writer's flow studio Apr 22, 2022

You sit down to write, eager to translate the words and images in your head onto the page. Perhaps it takes a few minutes to settle in, but you’re soon deep into your work-in-progress.

Two hours later you look up, astonished that the world outside your book exists and wondering where the time went.

Have you ever had this happen to you? Perhaps you’ve experienced a taste of it, but in shorter bursts. Or you can only achieve this elusive state intermittently and desperately want more of it.

This is the elusive state of FLOW. It’s a critical component of a creative life and also one of its most rewarding experiences.

When we’re in a state of flow, time ceases to exist – as does anything outside of the immediate artistic challenge in front of us, whether that’s crafting a love scene or finding more active verbs on a final editing pass.

Flow is where we feel that sense of satisfaction in our creative process, and when we’re in flow, we’re also not worrying about anything other than the task in front of us.

The Science of Creative Flow

The preeminent researcher on the flow state is the psychologist Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi.

Csikszentmihalyi passed away in October of last year, but his ideas about creative flow transformed how people think about creativity and its rewards, as well as the relationship between experiencing flow and the concept of happiness.

(Here’s a great TED talk he did talking about flow as the secret to happiness. Here’s his book on the subject. I recommend both!)

As someone who’s studied this phenomenon and applied the principles to my writing life, I can tell you that focusing on achieving the state of flow – rather than focusing on page count or word count – is THE secret to creating and sustaining a writing life you love.

Characteristics of Creative Flow and Why It Matters for Writers

Here are the essential characteristics of flow:

Focus and concentration on the task at hand
Clear goals for the work
Feedback that is immediate as part of the process
A sense of time passing quickly or slowing down
The activity is rewarding for its own sake
A sense of effortlessness and ease
A balance between challenge and skills
We are so absorbed we lose track of our self-conscious thoughts
We have some sense of control over the task

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Those writing sessions where you lose all track of time and feel completely engaged in the task at hand.

If I’m honest, I’m a bit addicted to this sense of flow – more than anything, this is what I am hoping for when I sit down to write.

All good writing comes from achieving a creative state of flow.

My own experience as a writer very much echoes what Csikszentmihalyi outlined as the characteristics of flow.

Which is all fine and good, but HOW do we achieve a state of flow in the first place?

Focus is a Precondition of Flow

I’ve written about this before: there can be no flow state without focus. And in today’s scattered and distracted world, focus feels like the Holy Grail. Does it even exist? Where would we find some of this focus people speak about?

Here’s some great news: you can learn to foster focus in your writing life so that it becomes a habit. And when you learn to do this, you’ll find yourself more easily able to achieve that elusive state of creative flow.

Focus does take some effort. In order to achieve it, we first need to give up the idea that it’s hard. Sometimes we do more complaining about how hard it is to focus than we do setting up our lives to achieve it!

This is also why I created The Writer’s Flow Studio – my membership program for writers – to help writers come together and learn how to cultivate focus and achieve a consistent state of flow in their writing lives.

6 Key Steps for Finding Focus & Flow

Let me share with you then how we find focus – and therefore achieve a consistent flow state – in The Writer’s Flow Studio…

>>> We schedule writing times each week. Some of these may be community writing sessions (we offer 7 times each week where writers can join together to write) or a mix of community writing and solo writing.

>>> At our scheduled time, we sit in a quiet place we’ve prepared and set aside for our writing, with everything we need for that day’s session already at hand.

>>> We eliminate all external distractions within our control: block the Internet, pull the landline cord out of the wall, close the door, play some music or wear noise-cancelling headphones. Whatever it takes!

>>> We ground or center ourselves, triggering the body’s parasympathetic nervous system to reduce any stressful thoughts about our writing and set aside creative anxiety. We do this by adding 3 minutes of something like deep breathing, creative play or calming visualizations to the start of our writing sessions. (Don’t knock this until you’ve tried it – it works like gangbusters! And if you feel anxious in the middle of your writing session, you can also use this technique to hit the reset button.)

>>> We begin writing immediately after the centering/grounding exercise.

>>> We set a timer for our writing sessions. There’s something immensely comforting to the mind about knowing there’s a set time to stop or even take a break.

Not all sessions are perfect and the angels don’t always sing. I’m not claiming that for a moment.

But with consistent practice, we find ourselves in that delicious state of flow more often than not.

A Writer's Tool for Finding Flow

And the proof is in the writing! Members of The Writer’s Flow Studio have transformed their writing lives through these practices. They’re writing more consistently, finishing writing projects, and – most importantly! – enjoying the creative process.

You don’t have to take that from me! Here are what members have said for themselves...

The Writer’s Flow Studio has had a huge impact on my writing journey. I had never written a novel and was stuck in the "messy middle" not knowing how to proceed. The group seminars, individual coaching with Rhonda, and sessions with editors and published writers allowed me to complete my book and get it ready for submission, while also establishing a daily writing habit. Rhonda and the WFS group have been with me every step of the way. – Karen Armstrong

My writing life is so different because of the Writer's Flow Studio. I have a writing ritual that helps me get into the right mindset. I know calming exercises that help so much. If you have anxiety about your writing, the Writer's Flow Studio is the place for you. – Jessica Gervais

The Writer's Flow Studio has given me back my writing life. There are so many resources for members that help me track progress, plan and organize, study craft and explore mindfulness. I now have a writing ritual that I enjoy and it gets me excited about writing even when it's hard. – Jacqueline McMahon

I get a little weepy when I read these notes. It means everything to me that The Writer's Flow Studio is making such a difference in helping writers create and sustain a writing life they love.