This step-by-step guide is really helpful to me as I'm preparing myself mentally to start writing a novel. I'm curious about the name of the voice note-taking app/transcription app. Would you mind sharing it?
I'm really inspired by your ability to take notes and write scenes even during the time you were caring for young children. I often stop short of plunging into the zone or flow because of my mental health issues. I'm going to try implementing these steps so I will limit the "excuses" I give myself for not writing.
It worked fairly well, but I find digital filing of notes to be a huge hassle.
For me, note cards and scraps of paper are easier to track and more memorable.
Maybe it will help you get into the Zone if you think of writing as "just" writing, like just playing. Any word may lead you to gold but no single word is required to be golden. The pressure we put on ourselves to "perform" is the real stopper. Relax and just write for yourself and for the fun of it!
Hi Aimee, thanks for your tips. I don't own an iphone so I won't be able to take advantage of the audio transcription feature. I did try Otter on my laptop previously and found it to be pretty good. I think I will defer to taking notes with pen and paper after all because it's the easiest way. Besides that, I also like to make google docs coz I can access them everywhere and it may be easier to search. The advice I appreciate the most is to "just write"! :-) Thank you!
Thank you for this, Aimee. I find myself in the zone far more often than being in flow. I take notes and journal religiously. When it comes time to enter into a flow state with a writing effort though, the project looms in my mind and my attempts to bring it justice feel woefully inadequate. I now have two shelved novels that have fallen prey to these suffocating standards, and as I pursue my short stories, I'm beginning to feel the flow restrained in me again as I try to bring too much to play, confounding the impulse and poisoning the pond. I do find it helpful to engage in other activities (sailing, cycling) that induce flow, just to know that I can still access it--it's still possible.
Ah Peter! I hear you. Perfectionism is a crippling curse. But treasure those novels on the shelf! They will call you back when they're ready to fully reveal themselves. Try writing in a different genre in the meantime. Sometimes it helps to switch writing gears. As Rilke said,
This was very helpful and motivating! I picked up a few new ways to track ideas and stay plugged into creativity. Reading about someone who took notes in between swim laps in s notebook by the side of the pool made me realize there is literally no excuse!
I'm so glad! And I should have added that we are MOST likely to be in the Zone when showering, running, swimming, walking, sleeping-- any activity that strips away all other tasks and releases our minds to pure thought.
LOL before I woke up this morning I dreamt that someone (a young male techie, I presumed) left a comment on this post that read "Get into 'the Zone'? WTF?" And that meant that I'd have to add an apologetic note that this newsletter is for CREATIVE writers, for whom the rules of the writing game are quite different from other forms of writing. I'm relieved that I don't actually need to explain that to you guys ;) !
What a wonderful, precise, helpful list of practices, tools and quotes for getting into the Zone! Thanks so much Aimee. I employ some of these already but others are new and inspiring. As I settle into a new home, I need to find plenty of places to tuck away the little notebooks, the index cards, and yes, I already use my voice memo function on my phone. But note to self to add the transcription app!
Delighted to be of help! I've been doing this for so long, collecting these tidbits from so many books and writing friends over the years, that I forget how useful it can be to collect them all in one place!
Great suggestions!
This step-by-step guide is really helpful to me as I'm preparing myself mentally to start writing a novel. I'm curious about the name of the voice note-taking app/transcription app. Would you mind sharing it?
I'm really inspired by your ability to take notes and write scenes even during the time you were caring for young children. I often stop short of plunging into the zone or flow because of my mental health issues. I'm going to try implementing these steps so I will limit the "excuses" I give myself for not writing.
Hi Louisa, It looks like the new iphones have a built-in audio transcription feature: https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/ios-17-what-you-should-know-about-audio-message-transcripts/
I tried Otter on a friend's recommendation: https://otter.ai/
It worked fairly well, but I find digital filing of notes to be a huge hassle.
For me, note cards and scraps of paper are easier to track and more memorable.
Maybe it will help you get into the Zone if you think of writing as "just" writing, like just playing. Any word may lead you to gold but no single word is required to be golden. The pressure we put on ourselves to "perform" is the real stopper. Relax and just write for yourself and for the fun of it!
Hi Aimee, thanks for your tips. I don't own an iphone so I won't be able to take advantage of the audio transcription feature. I did try Otter on my laptop previously and found it to be pretty good. I think I will defer to taking notes with pen and paper after all because it's the easiest way. Besides that, I also like to make google docs coz I can access them everywhere and it may be easier to search. The advice I appreciate the most is to "just write"! :-) Thank you!
Thank you for this, Aimee. I find myself in the zone far more often than being in flow. I take notes and journal religiously. When it comes time to enter into a flow state with a writing effort though, the project looms in my mind and my attempts to bring it justice feel woefully inadequate. I now have two shelved novels that have fallen prey to these suffocating standards, and as I pursue my short stories, I'm beginning to feel the flow restrained in me again as I try to bring too much to play, confounding the impulse and poisoning the pond. I do find it helpful to engage in other activities (sailing, cycling) that induce flow, just to know that I can still access it--it's still possible.
Ah Peter! I hear you. Perfectionism is a crippling curse. But treasure those novels on the shelf! They will call you back when they're ready to fully reveal themselves. Try writing in a different genre in the meantime. Sometimes it helps to switch writing gears. As Rilke said,
"Let everything happen to you
Beauty and terror
Just keep going
No feeling is final."
This was very helpful and motivating! I picked up a few new ways to track ideas and stay plugged into creativity. Reading about someone who took notes in between swim laps in s notebook by the side of the pool made me realize there is literally no excuse!
I'm so glad! And I should have added that we are MOST likely to be in the Zone when showering, running, swimming, walking, sleeping-- any activity that strips away all other tasks and releases our minds to pure thought.
LOL before I woke up this morning I dreamt that someone (a young male techie, I presumed) left a comment on this post that read "Get into 'the Zone'? WTF?" And that meant that I'd have to add an apologetic note that this newsletter is for CREATIVE writers, for whom the rules of the writing game are quite different from other forms of writing. I'm relieved that I don't actually need to explain that to you guys ;) !
Along with showering I would add making a soup from scratch, stirring that pot, for nutrition & creativity!
What a wonderful, precise, helpful list of practices, tools and quotes for getting into the Zone! Thanks so much Aimee. I employ some of these already but others are new and inspiring. As I settle into a new home, I need to find plenty of places to tuck away the little notebooks, the index cards, and yes, I already use my voice memo function on my phone. But note to self to add the transcription app!
Delighted to be of help! I've been doing this for so long, collecting these tidbits from so many books and writing friends over the years, that I forget how useful it can be to collect them all in one place!