UFI welcomes Mayra Calvani Author of The Luthier's Apprentice. Thanks for Joining us!!
“Experiencing the Flow while Writing,” by Mayra Calvani
The flow is what some refer to as being “in the zone,” that marvelous state
of being when time seems to stop and everything disappears around us while we
immerse ourselves in our work—in my case, in the fictional world of my
characters.
Does it happen all the time? No. But when it does, it is absolutely
wonderful. Writing becomes a transcendent, almost spiritual activity.
According to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, author of Flow: The Psychology of
Optimal Experience and other books on this subject, people are happiest when
they’re in the flow, which he defines as a state of concentration or complete
absorption in an activity. Or, “the result of intense concentration on the
present.”
I have found that the more often and faster I write, the more I put my ego
aside, and the more relaxed I am, the easier it becomes to reach the zone. My
major problem is that I usually edit as I write, meaning that my left brain
keeps intruding. Worrying about words, verbs, adjectives, etc. inhibits flow.
There’s nothing wrong with editing, of course. The problem is editing and
creating at the same time.
For me, editing while creating can result in anxiety. Anxiety, in turn, can
be a huge form of distraction. Editing while creating implies that I’m focusing
on the end product instead of the process, on impressing the reader with perfect
words and turns of phrases instead of letting go and trusting “the soup.” In
short, it means focusing on the future instead of the present. This, in turn,
means that the ego is in the way, and in a state of perfect flow, there’s no ego
and no anxiety present.
I always try to do things to facilitate and increase concentration. I write
in the mornings, when my mind is rested and at its full potential, and when I’m
alone and the house is quiet. I turn off the internet. I don’t answer phones
unless it’s an emergency. I listen to an atmospheric movie score with headphones
to help block the outside world. When I’m feeling unusually distracted at home,
I go to a café. I find that the noise from people’s conversations around me
paradoxically help me focus like music does. To diminish productivity anxiety, I
don’t set myself a minimum number of pages at a time. Instead, I tell myself,
“Okay, for the next two hours I’m going to be with my novel.” This,
believe it or not, has been a major factor in reducing my anxiety. I also say a
little mantra to myself: “Trust the soup, enjoy the journey.”
What about you? What do you do to experience the flow?
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Award-winning author Mayra Calvani has penned over ten books for children and
adults in genres ranging from picture books to nonfiction to paranormal fantasy
novels. She’s had over 300 articles, short stories, interviews and reviews
published in magazines such as The Writer, Writer’s Journal and Bloomsbury
Review, among others. A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, she now resides in
Brussels, Belgium.
Find Mayra and her books
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The Luthier's Apprentice
Niccolò Paganini
(1782-1840), one of the greatest violinists who ever lived and rumored
to have made a pact with the devil, has somehow transferred unique
powers to another…
When violinists around the world
mysteriously vanish, 16-year-old Emma Braun takes notice. But when her
beloved violin teacher disappears… Emma takes charge. With Sherlock
Holmes fanatic, not to mention gorgeous Corey Fletcher, Emma discovers a
parallel world ruled by an ex-violinist turned evil sorceress who wants
to rule the music world on her own terms.
But why are only men
violinists captured and not women? What is the connection between Emma's
family, the sorceress, and the infamous Niccolò Paganini?
Emma
must unravel the mystery in order to save her teacher from the fatal
destiny that awaits him. And undo the curse that torments her
family—before evil wins and she becomes the next luthier's apprentice…
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