The Use of Hypnagogia for Writing

Hypnagogia is a stage right between waking and sleeping wherein the mind is relaxed and the subconscious is more accessible. In the morning, you come out of it and at night, you sink into it. If you can perfect a technique on how to use it, you will become very productive.

‘Hypnagogic’ and ‘hypnopompic’ were terms coined by two scholars in the 1800’s. They referred to the state of conscious as one slid into sleep and as one came out of sleep, respectively. ‘Hypnagogia’ was later coined by Dr. Andreas Mavromatis in 1983 to refer to the general state of half asleep, half awake, regardless of which way you were going.

This state is the most wonderful tool for a writer. Morning is easier for writing because the aim is to finish awake, which is useful when you are writing. On the other hand, at night you get the best bits just before slipping off, and when you try to write it down you only wake yourself up again, and may not manage even to do that. However, you can still use this time to produce some great ideas, you just have to learn how to remember them in the morning.

If you use these stages to develop your work, you will come up with amazing results. When balanced properly, this state will allow you more freedom in your writing and the ability to write much, much faster. Yet sometimes, if you tend to go more towards the sleep side, you get very strange results. Remember that during this stage, your subconscious is much more accessible and your critical nature is often disengaged. If you have problems coming up with ideas or being overly critical of your work, milk this state for all it’s worth.

So, if you want to become a prolific writer then do not waste these free periods. Spend every night as you drift off contemplating your book. Allow dialogues to take place in your head and present your genius with any problems you are stuck on. Then first thing in the morning write, write, write! Write whatever answers your subconscious has thrown back at you. While still only partially awake, recall the messages of the night and write as much as you can.

You could actually come up with an entire story outline in twenty minutes if you try to write down a dream while it is still warm and malleable. If you write in this partially conscious stage, your genius can still mold the dream into a more book appropriate form. A little late than that and you will face difficulty in understanding how the dream progressed and what could make it a good book.

Learn how to use these stages and you will realize how exciting your work could become if created during these times. Train yourself to always spend the first few waking moments writing, and your last few focused on your work.

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