Derrick Ferguson (author of the awesome Dillon series) and I have several times had the conversation about how we get into a writer's trance when writing. What is the writer's trance, you might ask? It's that mental head-space where words start to flow for the author and the story seems to start telling itself or (as author Robert E Howard put it) when it seems that the protagonist of your story is standing at your shoulder and telling it to you as you put it to paper. It's that golden time where the author doesn't have to struggle for the words and they seem to drop like manna from heaven to sprinkle the pages of your manuscript.
Derrick's wife, Patricia, as an observer of Derrick falling into the writer's trance became convinced that Derrick was using a form of self-hypnosis to put himself into this golden creative state. At first I wasn't sure what to make of this observation, but as I've considered it I have become convinced that Patricia was not at all mistaken.
When I'm at my most productive I am able to shut out all outside distractions and I mentally become enveloped in the story that I am telling. At this point the words seem to flow out of me and I'm not sitting in front of my word processor, I'm completely absorbed in some fantastic world of my own creation.
Most websites that discuss hypnosis and writing speak of utilizing hypnosis as a tool to help writers overcome their writers block, but I'm more concerned with the direct application of hypnosis to stimulate the creativity of a writer that's already writing. There may be some natural ability instinctive to some writers that allow them to fall into this hypnotic state, but there are a couple of methods and tools that I find helpful for bringing me into The Zone.
1) Ritual: If you repeat certain actions before writing you may find that you are more mentally prepared for reaching The Zone. This may include enjoying a cup of hot chocolate or a good stretch or maybe reviewing a few paragraphs of your story. It also might be helpful to write at a particular time every day, so that you become conditioned to falling into a state of self-hypnosis at that time during the day.
2) Leave it in the Middle of the Action: When I'm finishing up my daily writing I'm always tempted to speed through the action and end it at a point where I'm not sure, yet, where the story is going. If you leave off your writing in the middle of something where you still have ample inspiration, it makes getting into your next day of writing much easier.
3) Music: I've got a wide variety of music available on my computer and I like to shuffle it while I write. I find that this is an immense help for quickly drawing me into the story and getting me into that state of self-hypnosis. However, this can cut both ways. I am a musician and if I play the music too loudly instead of being drawn into the hypnotic state I can be pulled out of it by lyrics or guitar. However, when played at low levels I find it conducive to stimulating the hypnotic trance where I'm completely absorbed in my writing.
This all may sound a bit hocus pocus to those who have never experienced the writer's trance, and a writer should hone his discipline to write under any variety of circumstances. However, utilizing these techniques can greatly increase a writer's productivity.
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