zlacker

>>dillon+(OP)
If I'm "in the zone", then I stop being aware of the monitor and keyboard and all I see is what's in my mind's eye: geometric shapes coming in and out of existence and moving in various ways that relate to what I'm doing. Then it feels like the code is just pouring forth on its own without me paying attention to it.

It's seriously an altered state.

Most of the time I'm not in that state[1], though. In those cases, I don't think I really visualize anything. I think my mind is too occupied with egg-juggling to have the cycles to spare on visualizing things.

[1] The older I get, the more difficult the state is to achieve and the more delicate it is when I've achieved it. Which is a shame because my best work is done in that state.

>>JohnFe+W5
I don't even have to get in the zone for that, spatial relationships with various shapes (they're usually tagged blobs rather than geometric shapes; it's not something that could easily be made into an image to share with people) are just how I think about code in general. I switch from my normal "internal voice" style of thought to something different that usually doesn't use words, except occasionally for things like prepositions to help with relationships.

Really this is the same style of thought I usually have when I'm reading a book. Usually I don't have the entire thing mapped out like you'd see in a movie, just blobs that represent the characters and objects in the setting, but they're moving around and interacting as if it's a movie. If I get in the zone while reading this can temporarily override what I'm seeing so I don't even realize I'm still reading words and turning pages.

>>Izkata+Tj3
Wow. I never really thought of it before, but yes -- getting absorbed into a book is a very, very similar experience.