How Do You Sleep?

popmuze · Mar 8, 2009

Whether I'm at the beginning of a new project, or the middle or the end or even a really good part of an ongoing one, I never get any sleep.

I find I fall asleep dreaming of sentences and wake up with paragraphs in my head.

When I used to write songs it was the worst; I'd have to juggle dozens of lyrics and the occasional melody all night long.

Waking up in the middle of such a siege is usually a good idea, if you can understand what you wrote in the morning.

Most mornings I just roll out of bed and get to the computer as soon as possible.

How about you?

Ugawa · Mar 8, 2009

I have insomnia. I've had it for almost two years now, so thinking about my WIP doesn't really change anything. I have about 10 - 15 hours sleep a week if I'm lucky, so I have alot of time to think about/work on my WIP.

XX

KikiteNeko · Mar 8, 2009

I'm an insomniac so I don't sleep much anyway. When I wrote my latest MS, I didn't get much sleep though. I would go to bed and then get up a lot with an idea, and end up hitting a nerve and writing for a while. But with the MS before that, I wrote all day, literally, and at the end of the day I was so exhausted that I just put it out of my head and slept a dreamless sleep.

scarletpeaches · Mar 8, 2009

What's sleep? Is that the hazy time between 3am and around 8, when I lose consciousness for a couple of hours at a time?

JimmyB27 · Mar 8, 2009

popmuze said:
Most mornings I just roll out of bed and get to the computer as soon as possible.

Get thyself a laptop; you don't even need to roll out of bed!

As for me, if I have a job, I sleep around five hours on week nights and then make up for it at weekends. When, like now, I have no job, I sleep whenever I get tired - which usually leads to some very odd and very unsociable sleeping hours...
As for the writing; I don't let it shape my sleeping habits, I just fit it in wherever.

Disa · Mar 8, 2009

Well before Christmas I was barely sleeping. I can always fall asleep I just can't STAY asleep.I was sleeping 5 hours per night tops with intermittant waking up. I bought myself one of those memoryfoam mattress toppers and pillows for Christmas- now I sleep about 7 hours straight through- I even slept all the way til 6:00am today

Hmm no telling how long I could sleep if there was no big, wet, dog nose in my face every morning.

The Lonely One · Mar 8, 2009

Insomniacs abound. Interesting.

I can't say I'm one. I love my sleep. I mean, no insult to my friend fiction, but possibly I love sleep more than anything.

You can pry it from my cold, dead hands.

Right after this nap.

Soccer Mom · Mar 8, 2009

I don't write well when I'm tired. Gimme sleep.

ETA: But I frequently dream about my characters and plot when I'm in the throes of a novel.

scarletpeaches · Mar 8, 2009

I CAN write when I'm tired. I'd just really rather not. It's like anything...if I'd rather be snoozing, it takes me a while to get going and my heart isn't in it.

Ken · Mar 8, 2009

...often skimp on sleep, myself, especially when doing the daily grind. Do take 15 minute naps here and there, even when at work ;-) Friend of mine got me into them. Excellent energizers, oddly.

Zelenka · Mar 8, 2009

I've put a whiteboard beside the bed so I can write down ideas, but I've hit on the method of using audiobooks on my iPod to get me to sleep. I used to listen to music but found that this just made it worse, and I would get even more ideas, which would keep me up, but with audiobooks and audio dramas I find my mind doesn't wander off the story I'm listening to, and usually I'm out before I hear the end of it.

Matera the Mad · Mar 8, 2009

How do I sleep: let me count the ways. Erratically. With great difficulty. Sitting here. Not enough. Not yet. Halfway, try again later.

I usually role-play as one of my characters to get over the barrier. How long it lasts is a crap-shoot. No wonder my characters are always short on sleep.

Clair Dickson · Mar 8, 2009

I often juggle ideas-- and get really good ones soon as I get all comfy and snuggled up with Hubby-- in bed.

But once I'm out, that's sleep time. I don't often remember dreams. And I figure any really good idea will stick in my head.

I need my sleep. I love my bed. It's often hard to find the edge of the bed come morning. And since my brain doesn't function in the morning, rushing to the computer would do nothing for me.

But I do often stay up into the night working. It works out since I'm nocturnal anyway. And I take naps. I love me some naps. Especially on rainy afternoons like today. =)

MelodyO · Mar 8, 2009

I had terrible insomnia for about 18 months. The cure? Finishing my novel. It literally stopped overnight.

Now I've started my next novel. You can guess how this story ends.

rugcat · Mar 8, 2009

I sleep the sleep of the just.

maestrowork · Mar 8, 2009

I sleep like a baby and I take naps. I'm all about sleeping. How I still manage to get things done? I have no idea. Sometimes I do get up too early and can't go back to bed, but fortunately I can always catch up on my sleep later during the day.

If I don't have enough sleep, it shows, and I can feel it. My body is very good at telling me, "hey dude, it's time to take another nap."

Kaylee · Mar 8, 2009

I have always had insomnia. I write during this time. The house is quiet and I can think.

Life is what happens, while you're busy making other plans. -- John Lennon

Stunted · Mar 8, 2009

I write best at 2AM, so I come home from school, sleep, wake up for dinner (which is, like, 10 at my house), do homework, write, and sleep again. I can only imagine what will happen to me in college.

Perpetua · Mar 8, 2009

On my side usually

Nivarion · Mar 8, 2009

a couple of benidrills. zzz zzz

DamaNegra · Mar 8, 2009

I only rest when I have nighmares. If I sleep and have a 'normal' dream, or if I can't remember what I dreamt, then I get no rest and wake up as tired as I went to sleep. However, when I have the worst nightmares, I wake up feeling refreshed. I've no idea why, but suddenly I've started to look forward to having nightmares.

Bartholomew · Mar 8, 2009

DamaNegra said:
I only rest when I have nighmares. If I sleep and have a 'normal' dream, or if I can't remember what I dreamt, then I get no rest and wake up as tired as I went to sleep. However, when I have the worst nightmares, I wake up feeling refreshed. I've no idea why, but suddenly I've started to look forward to having nightmares.

This may suggest that you only have REM sleep when you have really bad nightmares.

Lyra Jean · Mar 8, 2009

I sleep with my eyes closed.

I get restless and usually just pass out. It depends on how much blood is in my caffeine stream.

Namatu · Mar 9, 2009

Clair Dickson said:
I often juggle ideas-- and get really good ones soon as I get all comfy and snuggled up with Hubby-- in bed.

But once I'm out, that's sleep time. I don't often remember dreams. And I figure any really good idea will stick in my head.

I need my sleep. I love my bed. It's often hard to find the edge of the bed come morning. And since my brain doesn't function in the morning, rushing to the computer would do nothing for me.

But I do often stay up into the night working. It works out since I'm nocturnal anyway. And I take naps. I love me some naps. Especially on rainy afternoons like today. =)

Me too. Everything but the naps and the hubby.

I need my sleep, eight to nine hours, and my writing mainly happens at night. Work, however, requires an early wake up. Just one of the many reasons why more of my writing occurs on weekends.

Marian Perera · Mar 9, 2009

Okay, did anyone except me mentally quote Rainier Wolfcastle?

"How do you sleep at night?"
"On top of a large pile of money with many beautiful ladies."

How Do You Sleep?

Last of a Dying Breed

It's a catastrophic success!

.

Hoopy frood

Why is a raven like a writing desk?

Crypto-fascist

Going home!

Bartender, gimme a Linux Mint

A dark core to every cloud

Waiting for love on the web

Lost in the Fog

Fear the Death Ray

New kid, be gentle!

Ich heiße Superphantastisch!

Brony level >9000

Mexican on the loose!

Comic guy

Two years old now.

Lost in mental space.

starting over