THE HIDDEN TRANSITION EVERY WRITER NEEDS…
…but which rarely gets noticed
Welcome to Writer Revealed. If you’re new here, this space is for writers, would-be writers and writers returning to the page. It’s a place to find support and nourishment for your writing practice, where the attention is on the person behind the pen or the keyboard.
In my weekly posts, I draw on my own experiences and difficulties as a writer, on my work with hundreds of writers of all ages and levels of experience, across the UK and beyond, and I also dip into my studies in neuroscience and psychology. I hope you find these explorations helpful.
Now, back to that hidden transition.
I used try to start writing from the same state I lived in through the rest of my day – the quick, practical, problem‑solving state that keeps everything moving along, ticking off the to-do list. Dopamine fix, fixed! I often wondered why on these days the experience of writing felt flat, why my imagination didn’t quite open up, why I felt unsatisfied with the level of insight or craft.
As usual, I fell into a pattern of thinking it was just me, that I was somehow flawed. Turns out, it’s a lot simpler and less blameworthy than that. I was not in the right mind state. It wasn’t my fault. I just didn’t know it could be any different or that I had any control over it.
Writer Revealed is an interactive space, so gift yourself a few minutes of attention, get something to write with and a glass of water for your brain to function at its very best, and let’s get exploring.
The State We Start From
Think of yourself in the middle of an ordinary day. Maybe you’re answering emails, planning dinner, thinking through a work problem, moving from one task to the next.
In this moment, what are you doing?
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How does it feel?
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What’s the speed of your thinking; of your doing?
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What’s going on in your head, your heart, the rest of you?
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Using what you’ve noted above, write a short description of yourself in this state, focusing on both your inner and outer worlds.
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When you’re done, look back through what you’ve written. What stands out for you?
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Exploring this state for myself, I saw that when I’m in it my attention is narrow, my thinking is fast and somewhat jumpy, I’m moving on to the next decisions and actions almost before I’ve finished the previous thing.
This is the part of our mind that keeps life running along. It’s great. It provides the motivation and quick thinking we need to solve problems and get things done – but it’s pretty far from the state we need to be in for creative work.
For years, I didn’t understand that accessing creativity requires particular ingredients, that it needs to recruit different parts of the brain. The good news is that we can learn how to create a smoother, more reliable transition into the creative state.
What Creative Thinking Actually Needs
Movement is important as part of these explorations of the relationship between the mind and the body and writing – it stops us ruminating, helps us change focus and gain clarity. With that, I invite you to stand up and shake off that image of your busy self. Shake your hands, move around, look out of the window, focus on something new.
Now that we’ve located our everyday cognitive state, let’s contrast it with the state our brains need for creative work. This contrast is the heart of today’s exploration.
When you write – not editing, but the deep thinking work of crafting new word combinations – you’re drawing on a specific configuration of the mind. Neuroscience describes one of the key systems involved as the Default Mode Network (DMN). This, put simply, is your story engine. It blends memory, emotional states such as empathy and the imagination. At various points, it also works in tandem with the Executive Control Network, which helps shape and refine our ideas (more on that next week). For now, let’s stay with the DMN – the brain network we engage when coming up with new ideas.
The DMN is special. It requires gentle, expansive conditions. It is also easily closed down by anything remotely associated with ‘threat’. On top of the presence of the to-do list, self-criticism, even doubt, can shut the door on creativity before we’ve even started.
So what does keep the door open?
Being in nature, moving, walking, listening to music without lyrics, gazing out of the window, daydreaming, mind-wandering, reading great writing... These conditions make our brains less busy. In more technical terms, they reduce cognitive load and loosen the brain’s executive grip. Basically, the DMN likes it best when mental demands are light, where our imagination can find its own way, when we’re not steering our thoughts very much, if at all.
So now we know what works, let’s explore some beliefs that can accompany our Default Mode Network’s wish list.
What Gets in the Way
Choose one item from the DMN wish list – walking without purpose, gazing out of a window, daydreaming and so on.
Write down any beliefs you hold about it. As usual, go with what pops into your head and write without judgement.
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When you’re done, answers these questions.
Where do these beliefs come from? When did they appear in your life?
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Are they more positive or negative, or a mix of both?
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I chose daydreaming. I wrote: ‘Daydreaming is lazy,’ ‘I should be doing something productive,’ ‘this is a waste of precious time’, ‘you’ll never get anywhere like that,’ but also, ‘a sense of freedom’, ‘excitement’, ‘expansion’.
I’m sure the more critical beliefs came from the fact of daydreaming not being an integral part of the school curriculum – would that it were! But the more expansive memories also came from school. I have specific memories of gazing out of the window, watching the trees and the birds, the sunlight and clouds.
Let’s get to know the DMN better.
Opening up Creativity
To begin with we return to the breath.
Take a moment to become aware of the rhythm of your breathing. Once you’re aware of it, see if you can slow your breath rate and lengthen the out breath just a little.
If you’re indoors right now, I invite you to go to, or look out of, the window. If you’re outdoors, send your gaze around you. Wherever you are, let whatever’s outside the window or around you come to you.
Allow yourself to experience the world from that non-directed state of mind for a few minutes.
Now write a description of yourself in this state.
What does it feel like?
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What does it open up?
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Bringing it All Together
This practice is one to come back to again and again, and it’s simple. Change your focus. Move. Slow your breath. Allow the world and its objects to come to you. Come back to the breath.
Repeated over time, the practice becomes a familiar rhythm to slip into before you write. The shift towards the DMN can take an instant and often no more than a few minutes, but don’t underestimate how powerful the practice is. It’s the transition you need to carry your busy mind over into a slower, more spacious state where ideas can form more freely – even when your day to day is demanding.
To end, look back over what you’ve written. Write down one insight from your work on this today.
What did you learn from yourself?
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Thank you for reading. It’s great that you were here. If you’d like regular explorations of writing, subscribe to Writer Revealed for free. And if you want to get in touch, you would be most welcome.
Elizabeth
PS: If you know a writer who struggles to ‘switch on’ creativity after a long day, feel free to forward this post to them. It might give them the boost they need.
WRITE TOGETHER
If today’s exercises resonated, my weekly online WRITE TOGETHER sessions are built on this exact transition. The aim is to help you find creative freedom and fit writing consistently and sustainably into your life.
Sessions run every Monday, with Early Bird, Coffee Break and Night Owl time slots. They last an hour and are offered on a pay-what-you-want basis. Email me to arrange a free trial session: info@writerrevealed.co.uk