I often wonder if writing is a type of mental illness. I hear voices in my head that tell me to write things. I have waking visions—or are they hallucinations—of other worlds and strange creatures. I am defiant and oppositional with authorities on writing. But the most compelling evidence is when I’m “in the Zone”.
I worked for a time as a psych nurse. I’ve seen bipolar disorder at work. People with this aliment flop back and forth from extreme manic animation and deep black depression. As you might imagine, being on a manic high is more fun than wallowing in depression. So, when that manic phase kicks in, guess where the person wants to stay?
Writing is like that. Sometimes the words come in fits and starts and the story moves forward like a woman grocery shopping. That is, there are lots of stutter steps, tons of distractions, and debating over price as well as wants versus needs. There’s a lot going on and somehow it all gets done.
Then, there are the magical times—the Zone. When the words come like a flood and typos abound just trying to keep up with the flow. The story is unstoppable. It reminds me of the scene in the 1998 version of Godzilla. An old man is fishing in the East River and hooks Godzilla. He turns to run as the wave from the monster chases him along the exploding dock. Writing in the Zone is like being chased by Godzilla. It’s scary how fast it’s coming but it’s exciting too.
Writing in the Zone is what writers live for. Once they are there, they don’t want to crash back to earth. Disturbing a writer while he’s in the Zone is dangerous and a bit scary. It will turn him from the poor guy being chased into Godzilla in about two heartbeats.
Writers don’t create the Zone. They don’t really know where it comes from or where it goes. So, when it’s suddenly gone, they can’t just flip it on like a switch. An editor I worked for once described me as a story vending machine. Drop a suggestion in and a story comes out. It sounds good but it doesn’t work that way.
I do have a few suggestions for conjuring up the Zone. Fuel up on unhealthy snacks. Remember glucose is the only fuel the brain runs on. Make sure you’re hydrated. I point you to Hemmingway when choosing a beverage. Listen to tunes that will fire you up without distracting you. For me that means Zydeco for the “Moon” books; Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong for everything else.
One last note about the Zone. It’s often transferable. You can be cruising along on a novel, remember you have a blog to write, and shift gears without slowing down too much.
Jack LaFountain
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