Recently, I was attempting to edit, or maybe I should say, re-re-re-edit my YA novel, using techniques I had learned in Understanding Show, Don’t Tell by Janice Hardy. Agent and author Tessa Emily Hall recommended the book to me.

While I was working, I dropped into my writing zone. It doesn’t happen very often, and usually only when I am doing original writing, straight out of my imagination. When I get into my zone, my entire mind is occupied with writing. I’m not thinking of anything else, not the laundry, or how my kids are doing at school, or even what’s going on outside my window.

It feels like I’m underwater, immersed in a strange, new world. When I surface from my writing zone, I might actually need to gulp a breath, as if I’ve just come up diving deep. My surroundings seem strange to me. When I take a break from writing, it may take me several minutes to over an hour to acclimatize myself to reality again.

Do you ever dive into a writing zone? What does it feel like? When does it occur? I would love to hear what other writers experience!