I found the opposite better for myself. Staying at the outer edge of the free spots, staying as far away from the beam as it's possible so I can have time to stop and cast.
Bird's-eye view helps a lot too as you said.
I'm not sure who made this, but it was easier to show this rather than explain what to do when the maze starts spawning:
http://gickr.com/results4/anim_e1eaa...18cf2cae75.gif