✍️ How Do Writers Reach Flow State?

or, Why Having Fun is So Crucial to Creativity

I’m not going to pretend that I know Charlie Parker, or jazz, or New York in the 1940s and 50s.

In fact, if pressed, here’s what I’d say my total knowledge of Charlie Parker is: I’ve heard the name before, I believe he’s a musician, he may or may not be related to Ray Parker, Jr. who may or may not have wrote the Ghostbusters theme.

(I just checked – they don’t seem to be related. And Huey Lewis sued Ray Parker Jr. for plagiarism, saying that the Ghostbusters theme was ripped from “I Want a New Drug”. Literally sounds about right.)

But I did stumble on Charlie Parker’s wonderful line about improvising jazz:

“You’ve got to learn your instrument. Then, you practice, practice, practice. And then, when you finally get up there on the bandstand, forget all that and just wail.”

What he’s talking about, of course, is flow state. It’s a term that has long baffled creatives. And, as it turns out, has baffled scientists, too. In March 2024, a research team from Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA released results of an imaging study they conducted. The purpose was to see what parts of the brain were activated – and, crucially as it turns out, not activated – when someone is in flow state.

I won’t detail the whole study – you can read it here in Science Direct if you’re interested – but the upshot is that it’s pretty much how Charlie Parker described it: you learn your instrument inside out and then you let go so your creativity takes you where it will. The scientists called this “expertise plus release”.

The reason I want to talk about this today is because it speaks to the core tenet of this whole Substack: writing should be fun!

The Association Between Having Fun and Flow State

I think most of us here have experienced flow state before, in writing as well as in some other activity. It’s that “being in the zone” feeling when everything seems to come together and you just write and write and write. Often, you lose track of time. Almost always, you get a sort of euphoric high. And, not coincidentally, it’s when we feel we’ve written some of our best work. We touched on flow state too when we talked about creative block – the opposite of flow – in “Atwood’s Muse”.

An activity that doesn’t get talked about too much though in connection with flow is playing games. Card games, board games, sports, even videogames. (Some might argue especially videogames.) The documentary “High Score” talks about the fact that videogames need to be fun in order for them to be addictive. This seems obvious, but it’s in fact a key part of gaming theory. There are plenty of games you’ve never heard of for the simple fact that they weren’t fun.

Fans of Ghostbusters will remember that they had their own version of “flow state” — but don’t cross those streams!

Fun is important in flow state. But what we don’t always realize is that fun has to come first. We get into that intense focus because, in large part, we are enjoying what we’re doing.

To put it succinctly: Fun = Focus = Flow

This is no different than learning. There are tons of studies that show that when the brain is engaged in fun or puzzles, it retains more information and – crucially – gives a deeper understanding of the material. In this sense, creativity is a kind of learning as well. Yes, our brain is making it up, but it’s the subconscious brain telling our conscious brain. That only happens when our conscious brain stops trying to control the subconscious brain and just listens to what’s bubbling from out of those depths.

I mean hey, I’m not a neuroscientist. But I imagine it’s something like that...

Using Fun to Get into Flow

I suspect that most writers would say that flow state just comes to them every once in a while. Many or most couldn’t pin down any particular thing or series of events that led them to it. Creativity strikes, and they run with it.

This is absolutely true. But it’s also true that you can improve your chances of getting into flow state. Again, I’ll refer to “Atwood’s Muse” because muses to me are the perfect metaphor for reaching flow state. Sure, muses may strike when they wish. But, like flow state, you can also invite the muses, pique their curiosity, and persuade them to sit on your shoulder. Here are a few ideas for achieving that:

• Just Write. It’s amazing how often the muses will come when you’re already writing. Sometimes you have to Write Bad Words for a while. But they’ll sit on your shoulder eventually.

• Get a Ritual. Writing rituals, like tea rituals, can help you create the right mindset for flow state.

• Listen to Background Music. Depending on your writing temperament, playing music may help trigger creativity.

• Create a Writing Schedule and Stick to It. We can’t control the fish, only the fishing rod. Showing up to write is a large part of getting into flow.

• Limit Distractions. When you’re in flow state, it’s much harder to get distracted – your writing is the distraction. But before you hit flow state, distractions can easily pull you out of your rhythm.

• Befriend the Blank Page. Writing should not be fighting. It needs to be fun! Put aside your writing fears, if just for the moment, and write for the simple joy of it. The “serious” stuff will come as you go.

Key Takeaway: Fun = Focus = Flow. Without fun, you can’t get to flow because the brain simply isn’t engaged and/or invested. Rather than wait for inspiration to strike, start writing, cue the creativity, and even write some bad words to get you started. Fun will bring focus will bring flow soon enough.

Over to You: How Do You Get into Flow State?

I’d love to hear tips from you, if you have them, about the things you do to more easily get into flow state. Let us know in the comments below! And let’s not let that Ray Parker Jr./Huey Lewis debate drop after a mere 40 years. Any insights into that feud are appreciated as well... lol

I’ll leave you with two videos for the price of one: “Ghostbusters - Theme Song” by Ray Parker, Jr. and “I Want a New Drug” by Huey Lewis and the News. Choose whichever you like better – or watch both to contrast and compare. I did — it’s eye-opening! Scroll down to view.

Until next time... keep writing with wild abandon!

~Graham

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email me if you get lost.