Slow Down to Finish Your Book: Five Prompts to Find Momentum in Your Writing

Writing a book is naturally a mental process. You must ignite your intellect, organize your thoughts, and focus on writing in a way that will keep your readers engaged.

Yet, if you focus only on the mental aspects of the journey, you can get stuck in your head and encounter some unexpected obstacles that threaten your success.

The secret to finding flow as you write your book is balancing your intellect with your intuition and your mind with your heart. And to do this well, it helps to slow down and begin with the breath.

Follow The Breath

Many of us wait to be "inspired" to start writing. We want to be filled with ideas, clarity, and energy to write. But what if we could find inspiration in the breath?

From an energetic perspective, our breath gives us energy and connects us to life. We can't live without it.

The word inspiration comes from the Latin "inspiratus, "meaning "breathe into." To "inspire" means to breathe in or to inhale. Through our breath, we meet the external magical forces that give us life, fill us with energy, and animate us with ideas and creativity.

When we follow the breath, we can find inspiration.

Breathing mindfully—with awareness— is also known as "conscious breathing." We breathe all day long—and all night as we sleep—without thinking about our breath. Breathing is an automatic, essential process, like digestion, that our bodies require to stay alive.

Yet when you stop taking the breathing process for granted and instead breathe with awareness, you naturally bring more oxygen into your body and may notice an increase in both energy and inspiration.

We often don't realize that when focusing on the perfect words to write, we may be holding our breath or breathing quite shallowly. No wonder we don't feel inspired!

Slowing down and tuning in to your breath and your inner experience (including your thoughts, beliefs, and emotions) can be an invaluable tool for gaining momentum while writing your book. And yes, it's a paradox. You might wonder, how will I finish my book if I slow down?

Believe me, there is power in the pause. By attuning your energy to the present moment, you naturally fall into the coveted state of "flow." This is where magic happens, and your writing becomes supercharged with creativity.

Being in the present moment means letting go of your limiting thoughts and beliefs—your internal stories about what your experiences have taught you and the conditioning that keeps you stuck.

Presence is where we access "beginner's mind"—a state of experiencing the present moment from a childlike state of not knowing—which allows new thoughts and creative ideas to flow. By releasing our preconceived ideas about what we think we know, we get out of our own way and open ourselves up to new possibilities and creative approaches to our writing.

Five Prompts to Find Your Flow

In my work coaching leaders in writing their books, I encourage a process I call "flow-writing" as a potent tool for accessing intuition, unlocking inner wisdom, and discovering more momentum in the book-writing experience.

The flow-writing prompts below are designed to help you gain deeper insight and awareness on your journey to becoming a published book author. The answers you discover will help bring awareness to what's holding you back and what will move you forward. This process will also aid you in writing your chapters when the time comes.

Though typing your answers on a screen is okay, the physical process of putting pen to paper is more conducive to releasing and clearing internal space so that more energy can flow, which is the point.

The prompts below will encourage you to write your thoughts in a timed exercise without worrying about whether it's good writing.

Writing without editing—without concern for spelling, punctuation, grammar, or style—awakens creative flow. This is how we train our brains to overcome obstacles like perfectionism, procrastination, second-guessing, and overthinking. We write with abandon to clear the clouds of confusion so that clarity can shine through. (And don't worry, you can (and should!) edit your manuscript after the first draft is complete.)

The flow-writing prompts below are meant to be done after slowing down and practicing conscious breathing. If you'd like a guided breathing practice, try my free Limitless Creative Flow guided meditation available here. Or grab a copy of my book Awaken Into Flow and follow my guided Chakra Breathing Practices beginning in chapter five.

Please set aside at least 15 minutes for this flow-writing practice. Begin by slowing down with a breathing practice of your choice, then set a timer for 3 minutes per question. As you answer the question, keep your pen moving until the timer is done. Answer honestly and allow your intuition to guide you. This is how you begin to trust your Inner Author to flow.

Flow-Writing Prompts

1. In what ways do I distract myself from slowing down and tuning in to my inner experience?

2. What fears do I have about writing my book?

3. What boundaries do I need to put into place (with myself or others) to protect my commitment to finishing my book?

4. What is something I've recently accomplished or manifested in my life that I feel happy or proud about, and why do I feel this way?

5. How did my mindset help me achieve this?

As you wrap up your answers, note how you feel. You've just completed the first step of the FLOW Method. Are you surprised by any of your answers? What is one action step you can take to overcome an obstacle holding you back from finishing your book?

If you've found new insight or inspiration here, check out my latest book, Awaken Into Flow: The Soulful Leader's Guide to Writing a Transformational Book.

Inside Awaken Into Flow, you'll discover dozens of guided practices and prompts to help you overcome obstacles and consistently write with flow. You'll also have a clear plan for getting your transformational book out of your head and into the world!

Download a FREE preview of the book, including flow-writing prompts, at https://www.modernwisdompress.com/awaken-into-flow.

To your Inner Wisdom,

Catherine Gregory

Co-Founder, Modern Wisdom Press