Written by Danielle Raine, Holistic Creativity Coach
Danielle Raine is a holistic creativity expert and mindset coach for creatives and entrepreneurs. She has been studying the creative process since an epiphany at Art School in 1993 that revealed how to access the flow state.
Have you ever wished that you could make your sales or marketing copy more magnetic? Would you like to make the copywriting process easier and more enjoyable? Read on to discover the best times and places for your most inspired writing sessions.
When it comes to writing easily and well, theories abound about the times and places that can help us enter into that captivating flow state.
Some experts claim that the ideal writing location is a cafe with a low-level hum of activity. Others say that solitude and silence are the keys to accessing The Zone. Many writers find that being in nature is conducive to more creative brain waves.
After studying this phenomenon for many years, I’ve learned one thing for sure; there are almost as many suggestions for ideal writing conditions as there are writers.
From luxury resorts to air travel, from classical music to train journeys, from pre-dawn creative caves to late-night writing attics – it seems there are many different ways for us to woo the muse and find our flow.
So, how can this help with your sales and marketing copy?
The best way I know to identify the zones for your most inspired and magnetic writing is to play Creative Detective...
Finding your flow zones
Have you ever noticed that some days, your writing flows easily, and the end result delights you with its sparkling quality and inspired turn of phrase? And then, there are other days when it’s a strain to get any words onto the page, and reaching your word count feels impossible.
Why is that?
One answer is Flow Zones. These are the times and places that are conducive to your best writing and most inspired flow. The way to find out which ones work best for you is to become more aware of conditions – both internal and external – whenever you write.
It’s clear that there’s no absolute best time or place to write. As complex beings, we all have different preferences, habits, lifestyles, goals, etc., so it’s not too surprising that there are no definitive writing conditions that will suit all writers.
What we can do, however, is discover our own ideal conditions, and we do this with curiosity and awareness.
It’s helpful to go beyond recommendations for writers in general and get curious about the best places for you to write, to become aware of the times that result in your best writing.
There may well be particular places, spaces and times of day that humans are generally more creative or productive, but in terms of writing your best sales and marketing copy, all you need to know is when you are at your most creative, productive, and inspired about your work.
“Notice when flow happens, and change your life to make it happen more often.” –Vishen Lakhiani
The best place to write your marketing copy
To get started in discovering your own unique and highly personal Flow Zones, consider where you get your best ideas. Is it in the shower, driving your car, out walking or reading a book? These are classic triggers for creative breakthroughs and inspired downloads, and they may well be the best places for your writing efforts. Equally, they may do nothing for you, and your writing flow may occur in more unconventional places.
For example, in all my research on this topic, I’ve never heard any experts suggest that luxury spas or designer hotels are conducive to creativity, yet they work like magic for me. Not only do I get some of my best ideas in these beautiful spaces, but I can also fill pages of notebooks with sales or marketing copy that feels inspiring, clear, and compelling. After many years of playing Creative Detective, I’ve come to learn that these places are potent flow zones for me, and I can use this information to help my writing whenever I need to create an important copy.
Over to you, are there places that you find make it easier for you to write, get into the flow, and create your best copy? Can you remember occasions in the past when you wrote work that you felt really proud of, words that seemed to flow effortlessly and perfectly expressed your enthusiasm for your offerings? Where were you? What were the conditions – the sights, sounds, and sensations of that place or space?
If you don’t already know your particular Flow Zones, pay attention to your writing in the future and look for clues as to what conditions support your creative process. This may take some time and trial-and-error, but once you have this information, it could save you hours in terms of more productive writing sessions. It will also enhance the calibre of your writing, whether for marketing materials or anything else. And it can elevate your writing sessions to a more joyful experience of inspired flow. Given that science is revealing just how beneficial the flow state can be for health and happiness, this kind of creative sleuthing will be well worth your time.
“There’s less need for discipline and willpower when you feel naturally inspired to do a task.” –The Muse Spa
The best time to write your marketing copy
When it comes to identifying your Flow Zones, it may be more than a matter of location or environment - the time of day may also play a key role in your access to inspiration.
So, in addition to identifying the places where you get your best ideas or feel most inspired about your work, it’s also helpful to be clear on the particular times, or which activities tend to spark your best writing and ideas.
Perhaps writing your copy first thing in the morning works well for you, when the house is quiet and you haven’t yet been influenced by other people’s content or voices. Or perhaps an afternoon Creative Nap is the key to your most compelling copy.
You may find that your best writing times are linked to activities. For example, the ten minutes after your midday walk is when you’re brimming with ideas. Many writers (myself included) are inundated with writing ideas when in the bath. Other popular muse-wooing activities include meditation, running or working out, daydreaming or looking out of the window, especially if you have a beautiful or uplifting view. Reading books about your industry or biographies of your business heroes may inspire you with the themes you want to convey in your marketing.
In order to discover your optimum times and activities, pay attention to any occasions that inspire you to write lively, energised copy, or that help you clearly communicate the value of your business or offerings. Over time, you’ll discover valuable gems of insight about your unique creative process and the catalysts that work reliably for you.
As an example of Flow Zones in action, I mentally drafted this post while doing the dishes one Sunday morning. By playing Creative Detective, I’ve learned that I often get good ideas or writing inspiration when I’m doing the washing-up. Now that I know this, I can not only swap housework blues for inspired downloads, but I can also use this as a go-to inspiration-sparking activity whenever I have any sales or marketing copy to write. For me, it’s much more productive than staring at a blank page or trying to force the right words while sitting at my computer.
“When you feel good, you open the creative pathways in your brain.” – Dana Wilde
Journaling for clues
Another way to identify your Flow Zones is to use the act of writing itself to connect with your muse. Freeflow journalling or automatic writing is one way to access the creative part of your mind and uncover details about your ideal writing conditions. You could free write about any times in the past when you felt In The Zone and see if any pertinent memories about the specific conditions come to mind.
You can also ask your creative mind directly, asking questions such as, Where and when do I do my best writing? Your mind can’t resist a question! And it will go to work to bring you some answers.
Journal prompts can be helpful in identifying your Flow Zones. They can also help to get your creative juices flowing if you need to get started with a particular piece of copy.
Here are some examples to get you started;
I like the idea of knowing where and when I get my best ideas, and some initial thoughts about this are.
I like the idea of knowing where and when I feel most inspired, and I intend to discover the best times and places for me, starting with.
If you’d like to hone this practice specifically for your sales and marketing copy, you could use these prompts;
I feel most excited about my business when...
I feel most devoted to my audience and customers when...
I feel most proud of my work when...
I feel most clear about what I offer when...
I feel my most generous and one with the world when...
“Everything is easier from a place of inspiration and love.” – Michael Neill
Your business-boosting flow zones
Discovering the best times and places for writing your marketing copy could transform your business. There’s no doubt that the right words can play a key role in the success of your ventures, so any homework to identify your Flow Zones can yield rich dividends over time.
I hope these suggestions have inspired you to become curious and more aware of the conditions that lead to your most magnetic copy and most enjoyable writing experience.
Are you ready to get started? All you need to do is set the intention to notice your creative process and your unique Flow Zones. Become aware of when and where you get your best ideas. Decide that you’re going to discover when and where you feel most connected to your purpose, mission, audience, vision, and creative self. This information could transform both your copywriting and your identity as an inspired and genius creator.
Remember the core principle of this practice;
The best conditions for writing your marketing copy are the times and places when you feel most inspired, clear, and in love with your work.
Enjoy discovering your Flow Zones! And look forward to exciting new connections with your customers as a result of your inspired copywriting.
Danielle
If you’d like more practical strategies for getting creative with promotion and copywriting, help yourself to my free guide: Marketing for creatives (who don’t love marketing)
Danielle Raine, Holistic Creativity Coach
Danielle Raine is a holistic creativity expert and mindset coach for creatives and entrepreneurs.
She has been studying the creative process since an epiphany at Art School in 1993 that revealed how to access the flow state.
For three decades, she's been working and experimenting in the creative fields of design, blogging, publishing, marketing, tech, and entrepreneurship, with a particular focus on the nature of inspiration and flow productivity.
Her specialty is a wellness-based, feel-good approach to creative fulfilment and success, along with an enduring theme of enjoying the journey as much as possible.
Through her coaching, courses, books, and blogs, her mission is to share the simple, practical tools that create rapid shifts and inspiring results, so that her clients, students, and readers can do more of the work they love to do, and bring their most exciting creative visions to life.
