Something I found interesting in this article, as well as its prequel, is Steve's description of how the rest of the world continues past and around him while he's in the flow state. This is something I'm very familiar with, and I've gotten a lot of complaints from loved ones about it over the years.
When I was younger, the house could be burning down while I was writing, and I'd never notice. But now I've trained myself to be more responsive, because (a) unless you've cleared it with everyone ahead of time, it's pretty rude to be writing while the rest of the family is eating, and (b) there are times when you can't block yourself off from the rest of the world, but you still have to be creative and get things done. There are afternoons when I have work to do, but my wife has to get some errands done, and
someone has to be available for the kids if there's a problem. I have to be able to do top-notch work while still keeping an ear peeled.
It ain't easy, and I've still got a ways to go on developing the skill, but I've definitely seen improvement over the last several years. I can break off in mid-flow, go deal with a problem, and jump right back in. I'm usually pretty testy when I come out of the "bear cave", but I'm trying to improve that, as well. You can't (or shouldn't) get angry at a young child for genuinely needing attention.
Related to Steve's comment on comparing being "in the flow" with channeling: I agree they feel quite different. If someone interrupts you during channeling, you don't feel angry. You're so filled with joy and peace, it's hard to get upset. It makes me wonder whether being "in the flow" is much more ego-centric, or ego-derived, than channeling is. It's the ego that gets upset about being interrupted, about being taken away from its projects. (Nothing wrong with that! The ego has its place.) I wonder if there is some way to combine the joy and peace of channeling with the creative fire of being in the flow? What do you folks think of that?