What Gets You into The Zone? For Me, It’s #LedZeppelin

I got to thinking lately how certain things can really fire up a person and keep them focused.

For me it’s music and, depending on what I’m doing, it has to be a certain kind of music.

I was at the gym today, working up a sweat, when all kinds of thoughts rambled around in my brain about focus and inspiration and being in The Zone. And The Zone can be different things at different times, which, I suspect, pretty much goes for everybody. It can amp me up when I’m on the treadmill or out for a run. It can relax me when I want downtime or when I’m trying for a bit of Zen. It can also ignite scenes in my head for my writing.

Which is an interesting thing because today I got a double-shot of The Zone, and it came from Led Zeppelin.

I’ve always been a fan of Zeppelin. LOVE the music and the themes behind it, but I especially love the guitar. I gotta admit, Jimmy Page really knows what he’s doing. But lately, I’ve become a bit more of a fan than usual, and have been listening to their tunes more often than I had been. I realized that when I crank up the volume in my ear buds, all kinds of wonderful things happen when I’m working out or writing. I forget about how fast I’m running. I get lost in story scenes. I sense the beat and feel the mood, and my brain takes a whole other trip.

Like the one I took with these words:

In the days of my youth, I was told what it means to be a man,
Now I’ve reached that age, I’ve tried to do all those things the best I can.
No matter how I try, I find my way into the same old jam.

There’s something about Zeppelin’s raw beat, and the images these lines generated about my male protagonist, David Bellotti, that opened a floodgate of scenes and storylines. Ironically, David isn’t a Zeppelin fan. He’d much rather listen to Saving Abel or Nickelback. But these lyrics made me think about David’s life now, and the past lives he’s lived before, and how, despite how hard he tries, some things keep repeating themselves for him. And not always for the better.

I’d been facing a horrible writer’s block the past couple of weeks. I’ve written scenes and dumped the scenes, edited and re-edited, then dumped some more. Until today, when I recognized that Led Zeppelin is driving book three in my Past Life Series. And I’m liking where it’s taking me. Finally.

Thank you Jimmy, Robert, John Paul and John for getting me back into the Zone.

Now that I’m on the right writing track again, I’m finally able to Ramble On.

So what about you? What rocks your world and gets you into The Zone?

About terriponce

I write about secrets, suspense, and soulmates.

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