zone
1390, from L. zona "geographical belt, celestial zone," from Gk.zone "a belt," related to zonnynai "to gird," from PIE base *yes- "to gird, girdle" (cf. Avestan yasta- "girt," Lith. juosiu "to gird,"O.C.S. po-jasu "girdle"). Originally one of the five great divisions ofthe earth's surface (torrid, temperate, frigid; separated by tropicsof Cancer and Capricorn and Arctic and Antarctic circles); meaning"any discrete region" is first recorded 1822. Zone defense in teamsports is recorded from 1927. Zoning "land-use planning" isrecorded from 1912. Zoned (adj.) in drug-use sense is attested1960s, from ozone, which is found high in the atmosphere; therelated verb to zone is from 1980s.
A mental sate relating to competitive performance that depends on the mood or state of mind
Getting to my writer's zone, is a trip!
Some people would define me as always being in a mental state. .This is a good thing, although it really depends on who is saying this to me, friend or foe. I don't have many foe's, I just like using that word.
My new experiences in the South keeps me in prose. My writing problem isn’t so much writers block, it’s more of the many, many ideas floating in my head at the same time and me trying to decide which one (s) I should write about.
This, you think would be a nice problem for a writer, but it keeps me many a time from putting words to paper and out of my zone. It is probably because I am constantly searching for the best thing to write about. Never really satisfied with any potential topic. I am the type of guy that if you give me a menu with hundreds of choices, I will spend a very long time coming up with my choice for dinner. I will starve. Simple works better for me. Give me a menu with 5 choices and I am in my zone. You can also relate it to what I call the "clicker principle" I can be watching a good show on TV, but with the clicker............
...... I am sure there is always a better one on one of the other 2,654 channels. And I click to find it. My sessions with the clicker can be somewhat overstimulating and overwhelming.
I count on a variety of stimulations to get my zone of imagination going. Music, movies, biographies, trips to the store, etc…..I find that I am really In my writing zone if I am out meeting new people and places. Sometimes I can just wake up and be in a good mood and be in the zone without any stimulation. I take that back, I do really need some coffee in the morning to kick start my brain waves and motor skills.
I don’t pretend to be a good writer, as a matter of fact, I have no clue what kind of writer I am. I enjoy when I am in the zone and basically write for me, it is very soothing. That being said, If I can share some advice from someone who is constanly thinking and sometimes over thinking his ideas.
When you are in any kind of writing rut, Write! Just get a blank piece of paper or Microsoft word page and start writing something, anything. Doesn’t even have to make sense in the beginning. (Heck, look at me, I make no sense throughout!) Your true spirit will show in the writings as you keep writing. Many thoughts are unlocked only when you are writing. Let it flow, let it go, no pressure.
Or you may want to just step away from the keyboard altogether for a little while.
You can't force creativity. Creativity, like shit, just happens.
If you try and force your creativity, you will quickly find that your writing zone will more resemble.....
I have been in the writer's twighlight zone before and tried to force something out. Did I really just write about the lint in my pocket? Although I suppose a great writer can go on for hours about the size, shape and origin of the lint. Pontificate about the lints humble beginnings to gaining size and being a force to be reckoned with among the few quarters and credit card receipts that also share space in your pocket. Explaining in detail what the lint may be thinking, if lint could think at all and how the best laid plans of this lint can go bad with just a simple wash cycle. Did the lint have any fami.................. *SNAP* queue Rod Serling.
Forcing creativity is unnatural and in my humble opinion, leads to the greater problem of writers block.
Let it flow, Let it go.I think just wanting to put thoughts to paper is a great start. No pressure
Music plays a big part in my creative life. I have posted below some music that I listen to and that will stimulate my neurons and have me in the good zone quickly. As you can tell , my music tastes are just like my writing ability - all over the place.
The music is such a rush and so compliments my need for adrenalin. I need to write with adrenalin.
If you are like me, when I am out of my writing zone I am out, and if I am not careful I can spend much time trying to get back in. So what to do? convince yourself to take a break from writing, Call your brains bluff and shut down. When your brain sees that you want to take a break, It will begin to flood you with many ideas..I seem to get my best ideas when I really try to shut down for awhile. …
The mind truly works in mysterious ways!
Iced tea, a beat up pick-up truck , max the dog and a pen.
A change in your geographical area can set off many “zone alerts” It did for me, No comparision to my writing ability when I was up North vs. living down South now. The setting these days is an easy one to get me in my writing zone. On my Porch with a tall glass of iced tea and a pick-up truck in the driveway with my dog max at my feet. Depending on my mood, I can have music playing in the background. Doesn’t take much for my mind to wander to strange and pleasant places I have been or yet to be. Things that I have seen or want to see.
Being away from the hustle and bustle of a large Northern city has helped me relax and be a little more introspective. You know how multiple choices can make me weak at the knees. You can only imagine how adding the city noise and attitude to my though process would interfere with me thinking about anything...Plus, where I lived..it was all about being aware of your surroundings at all times, not to take in the scenery but to be sure you were going to stay safe and healthy.
Nine elements of flow
Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi identified nine elements of flow that he saw repeatedly in his research:
1. There are clear goals every step of the way. In many everyday situations, there are contradictory demands and it’s sometimes quite unclear what should occupy our attention. But in a flow experience, you have a clear purpose and a good grasp of what to do next.
2. There is immediate feedback to one’s actions. When you’re in flow, you know how well you’re doing.
3. There is a balance between challenges and skills. If a challenge is too demanding compared to your skill level, you get frustrated. If it’s too easy, you get bored. In a flow experience, there is a pretty good match between your abilities and the demands of the situation. You feel engaged by the challenge, but not overwhelmed.
4. Action and awareness are merged. People are often thinking about something that happened – or might happen – in another time or place. But in flow, you’re concentrated on what you’re doing.
5. Distractions are excluded from consciousness. Because you’re absorbed in the activity, you’re only aware of what’s relevant to the task at hand, and you don’t think about unrelated things. By being focused on the activity, unease that can cause anxiety and depression is set aside.
6. There is no worry of failure. In a state of flow, you’re too involved to be concerned about failing. You just don’t think about failure. You know what has to be done and you just do it.
7. Self-consciousness disappears. People often spend a lot of mental energy monitoring how they appear to others. In a flow state, you’re too involved in the activity to care about protecting your ego. You might even feel connected to something larger than yourself. Paradoxically, the experience of letting go of the self can strengthen it.
8. The sense of time becomes distorted. Time flies when you’re really engaged. On the other hand, time may seem to slow down at the moment of executing some action for which you’ve trained and developed a high degree of skill.
9. The activity becomes “autotelic” (an end in itself, done for it’s own sake).Some activities are done for their own sake, for the enjoyment an experience provides, like most art, music, or sports. Other activities, which are done for some future purpose or goal – like things you have to do as part of your job – may only be a means to an end. But some of these goal-oriented activities can also become ends in themselves, and enjoyed for their own sake. Csikszentmihalyi concludes by saying that “in many ways, the secret to a happy life is to learn to get flow from as many of the things we have to do as possible.”
