Happy weekend, writers!
Have you ever been so disoriented at the end of a
writing session that you don't know how much time has passed and have no memory of what happened after you started writing?
A former writing instructor of ours calls this a "writing fugue," where a writer
is so swept away by the work that he or she loses all track of time and space.
(Note: This is not to be confused with an actual fugue state, which is a serious dissociative disorder.)
I was mildly freaked out the first time I snapped out of one.
It was my first undergrad fiction workshop, and I had a story due the following day. Fighting through my procrasti-panic, I started writing... and three hours later, upon finishing a draft, realized that I had no idea how much time had
passed.
I barely knew where I was. My ashtray was full of cigarettes, but I didn't remember smoking a single one. I had little idea what I had just written, and retained only a handful of even the most major plot
points.
It was super weird. But also, more than a little bit exciting.
WriteByNighter Joe C. emailed this week to tell us about his own writing fugues:
"It's almost self-destructive, what I do," he says. "Basically, I forget to do a f***ing thing. I have coffee [and start writing] ... and then suddenly it's 4 p.m., my back is stiff, and I realize I've been holding my bladder to the point of pain."
Joe asked if we know any other writers who go into fugue states.
The short answer? Yes. Me!
I do my best work when I'm in that sort of trance, where nothing from the outside world can break my concentration. I go on autopilot, and
all that matters is the writing.
But as always, what works for one writer may not work for another.
How about you? Are you prone to entering a sort of fugue state when you write? How do you feel about it? Do you think it helps or harms your work?
We're always very curious to know how you operate! Let us know now in the comments section of this week's post, "Your
Writing Fugue and You."
