Have you ever felt like sitting down at your keyboard to let your mind get lost in the story? It’s a great feeling to let the words flow like water. It’s a feeling of joy that washes over you once you’ve completed your blog, newsletter or chapter – whatever writing you wish to accomplish.

This flow is what I have been studying further as it fascinates the investigator in me. When I wrote for a daily newspaper, I experienced this flow in a different way – the satisfaction that comes from completing a task. A column or blog is more than that. It’s about presenting a topic and coming up with answers that resonate with readers.

Training your writing mind requires a commitment to yourself and your craft. Now that I don’t have a deadline to reach with daily required copy, I continue to find writing joyful, and even more so with a blog that I write about my author journey.

This journey has included attending virtual summits, which have been enlightening as I delve further into the topic of writing. There’s more and more to learn every day – even though I’ve been doing it for years.

After meeting deadlines with specific tasks to accomplish, it’s refreshing to not feel obliged to create. When your subconscious is free, the state of flow can help in producing the best works. It’s simple, really – just free yourself from distractions and focus on your work in a relaxed way.

The summit I’ve enjoyed recently spoke of this kind of subconscious writing and getting lost in a story. The host compared this to reading a good book. You are in another state as you delve into the author’s description. Then, you may hear a loud crash and it jerks you out of the story. When you’re reading, you’re in an imaginative state and the crash you heard makes you go to your conscious mind.

Another example she gave is when we forget the drive home. It’s automatic most times and we often get lost in our thoughts. This is something I love to do as long as my husband is doing the driving. Otherwise, there could be some red lights or curves that come up quickly leading to a crash. It’s the relaxed thinking that I enjoy and when writing, it’s the best feeling.

When subconscious writing happens, you receive answers naturally – all without fear and anxiety. It flows easily like a dream. The summit leader noted that details come through your subconscious mind, allowing you to write “soul stories.” Only you can tell these stories through the lens that you see it happening.

People who experience writers block often complain that they feel forced to come up with words. They may follow templates, which tend to force the story. This leads to not feeling satisfied or confident with your story.

It was suggested that the easiest way to tap into your subconscious mind is with journaling. It can be used to craft stories and opens doors to the subconscious mind. While I was trained to outline, I tend to meander around a bit. I guess that’s what the author world terms as being a panster. But I also like to plot.

Plotters feel they have the best method for writing, while pantsers feel judged by everyone else for “winging it,” even though that’s what works best for them.

But what about being both? I looked up the terms plotter and panster and this is how the terms were described:

“Plotters” are those who like to completely plot out, and often outline, their novels before they sit down to write the first sentence. They feel there’s no way you can write a cohesive, complete story without planning out what is going to be written first. The idea of starting to write a novel without any plan whatsoever not only terrifies but mystifies them. It seems completely unorganized and maybe even a little reckless!

“Pantsers,” on the other hand, prefer to take that little nugget of a story idea, come up with a great opening scene, then sit down and just start writing as the story comes to them. They let the characters drive the novel and tell the author what will happen next. The thought of planning out what they want to write seems counter-intuitive to the creative process, and they find the idea limiting and constricting. They feel that having it all planned out completely stifles their creativity.

I don’t see why you have to be one or the other. Perhaps there is a middle ground between the two extreme stances.

Knowing in advance the direction your protagonist is headed and how they’re going to get there can eliminate uncertainty, providing direction. But you can still “pants it” and decide what happens as you go, letting your protagonist tell you how he or she wants to get from one step to the next on their journey. But at least, you’ll have a “road map” for your story—something to guide you and keep you on track and to help you avoid getting lost along the way.

Having specific questions to answer provides structure, while journaling on those questions can give your subconscious mind a chance to explore answers that would make sense. It was suggested to relax and let the ideas flow.

If the ideas don’t flow, don’t panic. Go for a walk and the answers will come. That makes sense to me and though I already knew that, it doesn’t hurt to be reminded.

So as the summit continues with more topics to delve into, I’m reminded that this craft called writing is something I enjoy more and more each day.

For me, writing is much more on the level of what some would call drive, though the desire is still there. It’s like scratching an itch, decluttering my mind by rendering formless thoughts as things with form so that they are out there in the world. To write in this sense is profoundly energizing. It leaves me feeling more in touch with myself and the world. It’s the best way I know to sift through my thoughts - both conscious and subconscious.