“Merrily, we roll along, roll along, roll along. Merrily, we roll along…”

Sometimes, it just happens — you have one of those days or even several days, where everything just seems to fall into place. You’re alert and attuned to the page — and words seem to flow like honey. If you’re making revisions, then thorny passages you expected to struggle with just seem to untangle themselves and your story perks along smoothly. What writerly bliss! While these interludes are rare, they are definitely to be savored. Having just experienced a brief but powerful one myself, here are a few thoughts on fully embracing these wondrous encounters with the writing life:

Enjoy it: First and foremost, enjoy the fruits of your labor! You’ve surely worked hard in order to reap a period of rich and productive creativity. So sit back for a bit and simply savor it. Soak it all in, so you’ll be able to summon up these moments of ease, when your mind was humming and words were flowing, whenever you hit a rough patch in the future.

Be grateful: Take a few moments throughout the day to give thanks for this expression of abundance in your life. The muses have smiled upon you and given you a gift. Just as we all do, they enjoy being appreciated.

Make a joyful noise: Let your friends know that you’re on a roll! Just as we all find comfort in the sympathy our writing buddies give us when we hit a dry creative spell, so it’s important to share these bouts of creative abundance. A rising tide lifts all boats — and it can be encouraging to your writer friends to remember that such moments are possible. Who knows, one of your writing pals could be next in line!

Don’t try to analyze it: When you’re on a creative roll, it’s tempting to try to figure out how you got there so you can do it again. Don’t bother — it’s probably a waste of time. If there was a formula, believe me, we’d all be reading about it in Writer’s Digest! Just keep working and stay in the game, buoyed by your firsthand knowledge that richly satisfying periods of creativity are possible and even probable if you keep at it.

Just knowing that these times of intense excitement and creative abundance are available to us is so nourishing! It can sustain us over many a rough and rocky patch. Have you ever experienced a truly satisfying period of creative energy? I’d love to hear about it. Write on!