Swimming in the Storm: Finding Flow Through the Perfect Title
Small Sparks for Your Day
A brief interlude in your day. A coffee break together. For a moment. xoxox
Titles have always been one of my entry points to writing. I use them like small sparks—or, as they’re known in Flow Theory, as Flow Triggers.
Last night, a storm started over the lake just as we planned to take the kids swimming. My sister and her two young children are staying, along with our two little boys, and we were all swimsuits and anticipation.
“Is that thunder?” I asked.
My sister nodded.
One of my sons told us that it was the chair grinding on the floor. Hopeful we’d get outside already.
The sky ripped in two with a lightning fork that illuminated the tall pines lining the far side of the lake. Heavy with dark cobalt cloud, for a while that sky held back the rain, and we watched from the windows.
And a title popped into my mind. I plucked it from the ether and tucked it into my secret writing heart: a small purse stuffed with imaginary notes and ideas. My plan: to pull it out next time I’m at the page and play. I’ll use this spark as a way to write and dream. In this way, the title becomes a Flow Trigger.
Flow Triggers.
A Flow Trigger is something that helps you access that state where the world falls away and you’re so absorbed in a task that you lose track of time: Flow.
You become the work. For me, writing is my primary Flow activity. You’ll have your own Flow activities (cooking? Gardening? Writing? Skiing?)
But how to get into it with all the chaos of the day-to-day. You want to write, but suddenly your life demands you.
The title tucked safely away, time passed. The children squirmed until the last raindrops plopping prettily, and we deemed it safe to swim. We talked about being struck by lightening, joking now the danger had gone, and made our way outside. Hurrying now, towels and laughter, a pause.
“Come on. Let’s go!” my nephew yelled.
We jumped.
From the dock into the shock of cold water, the sun now liquid on the surface, the fronds of aquatic plants brushing our legs.
To my mind, Flow itself the purpose of any creative act.
Because by entering Flow, you become more yourself, you both lose the world and see it anew.
The question has an easy answer:
Why write? For fame and fortune? For readers? For connection?
No, for Flow. To my mind, it’s the purpose of any creative act. Because by entering Flow, you become more yourself, you both lose the world and see it anew.
When I remind myself how to access Flow, I remember that the trigger doesn’t need to be grand.
Triggers can be small.
They should be small.
Small Sparks.
Another one of mine—and I’m sharing this with you with my cheeks aflame—is EDM music. Right now, I love Tiesto. Auditory access to Flow requires me to pop in headphones and replay Drive. Suddenly, the story spills in front of me and I’m in.
Titles. A few short words help me find that essential head space—if I’m halfway through a book, I’ll use a sentence from the day before, which sparks something in me when I return. Liquid light. An entry point from the dock to another world.
My advice? Sometimes, there’s a storm.
It’s impossible to get into Flow.
But when it’s passed, try a tiny trigger.
And jump.
xoxoxoxox
Alice
If you’re new here, my name is Alice Kuipers and I’m a writer, mother and dog-owner transplanted twenty years ago to the Canadian prairies from England. I’ve published fourteen books in 36 countries and my writing has been described as: “For storytellers and story lovers,” by Kirkus Reviews; ‘Gorgeous, heart-ripping, important,” by VOYA; and “Intense and wonderful” by Bif Naked.
Join me for a coffee break on my Substack: Confessions & Coffee.
Xoxo
Read:
Big Swiss is blowing my mind this week. I’m also reading The Menopause Manifesto by
, which is everything I need in a book right now. SO many things I didn’t know about my own 45-year-old body.On Substack, I’ve loved absolutely everything I’ve read by
and my plan is to really take time with her work when my kids are back to school. I’ve just subscribed to (are you seeing the editor vibes) who led me to —I can’t wait to read more of their work, too. I’m a paid subscriber to who is so generous and fantastic—take a look. And I’m always learning from —a brilliant writer and editor. is a brilliant teacher and beautiful writer. If you haven’t joined the 10,000 people reading her work, please do! And is inspiring everyone with her ten-week writing focus. I love seeing her novel gather words (and if you need a Flow Trigger like this, do follow her work).5 Practical Tips For Writing a Book as a Neurodivergent Author
I wrote a blog post for The Novelry (where I work as a writing coach). I’m talking more and more about what it’s like to be a writer and parent with ADHD and from the comments and generous feedback you’re giving me, I’m heartened to see it’s useful.
https://www.thenovelry.com/blog/writing-tips-for-neurodivergent-authors
I love sharing about my writing life to help you find your own—and I also love that this space gives me room to write more for you. Thank you to all the new subscribers—both paid and unpaid, who make that all possible. I write all this for you. In this essay about living with my mother-in-law I shared a few weeks ago, lots of you took time to comment and read. Thank you. It means the world to walk this path with you.
Here is the essay if you missed it:
If you’re struggling with tricky feelings of Self-Doubt, I hope this helps when they rise up:
And, finally, Parenting a child with ADHD, while having it myself, makes accessing Flow hard. Summer interruptions? More here!
xoxox
Alice, this was beautiful!! The headline and the story of the lake within the headline. I loved this.
The bliss of flow beats anything else, doesn’t it! I wrote my entire romcom in flow, years ago, and then pressured myself so much for the second that I fell on my nose and was blocked for 20 years (I spoke of this in an interview published here yesterday), until I had to find something to fill my life again after injury and health issues, and randomly discovered poetry through Beth Kempton. I still worry about losing my creativity again, about not entering the bliss of flow, but I’m older and feel less pressure. Thank you for this beautiful piece, and for your insight.