Writing at night

I have this issue, as well. I can brainstorm and come up with scenes or zippy lines all day long, but the bulk of my work gets done at night, post 11 pm. Everything just flows better. Maybe it's because the chores for the day are done and my mind can relax and focus on being creative. Or maybe it's because I've always been a night owl. I just feel better when I work at night and sleep during the day. Unfortunately, my boss wants me at my post at 6:30 am, so I only get about 3-4 hours of sleep every night.

I'll just chime in as a boring old fart to remind everyone reading this that chronic sleep deprivation is no better for one’s health than being a drunk or a junkie or a junk food glutton.

Between 1% and 10% of the population are known to need 5h a night or less, everyone else needs more in order to function properly in the long run. A number of days or weeks being constantly sleep deprived is OK if the overall health is OK, providing this ends before things get out of hand. But months and years like that are murder for body and mind.

Not only does it screw with you in the obvious ways--https://www.healthline.com/health/sleep-deprivation/effects-on-body#1—but it also doesn’t leave enough time for the body to repair itself on a cellular level, and drains the adrenal glands in order to use their fake strength until they burn out, with a cascading effect on the endocrine and nervous systems.

So, whoever experiments with sleep deprivation—please try to not be chronic about it. If it’s a life and death emergency—that’s different. But otherwise it’s not worth it.

If one is a once a generation genius who burns on the altar of art one’s life, one’s family, and one’s friends—maaaaybe that’s kinda OK, although it’s really not. "Understandable" if not actually "OK". For everyone else health, family, and friends should indeed be a priority, IMO.

This includes realistic plans. For example one may in theory be capable, based on one's current skill levels, of writing a 100% awesome fantasy quest if one has a year of total immersion. However, if one does not have the opportunity right now to organize this total immersion without destroying health and family, then one is really not capable of writing the 100% awesome fantasy quest. One is in fact capable of writing the 70% awesome fantasy quest, because that’s as much time and effort that can go there without everything else collapsing.
And that’s OK. That’s knowing the limitations of the current moment and using them to maximum effect.

Thank you for your attention, cough, hack, mumble.

...For those who can do this without killing themselves, I’d also recommend trying to wake up super early and work for some time before real life intrudes. The recently woken brain can be just as fluidly creative as the night-time brain, for some people

In summer, I work at night (and during the day, but most productive at night). My productivity is crud best when it is hot during the day. I stay up working till 3 AM sometimes. In the cooler months, I am most productive in the early morning and slow throughout the day.

Take some lengthy breaks or naps to rejuvenate between work cycles.

I used to write at night pretty constantly, sometimes until 4 or 5 in the morning. I miss those days. That was also around the time my insomnia was so bad I had a nervous breakdown, with over-the-top mood swings and the occasional hallucination. Don't miss that.

Waking up early seems to be a better method, though those hours before work slip away so easily.

Yep, definitely get most of my work done at night too. The only time I get a lot of it done during the day is if I take the laptop to a coffee shop.

I'm a night owl too. A nap before writing helps me a ton.

I am a night owl, regularly going to bed at 3 or 4 am. Since I am now retired, however, I can get up at noon.

Night owl or not, when it comes to writing material with a nodding acquaintance to something good(-ish) I work best, and am most productive, in the morning.

Whenever you work, I would suggest you make sure you get enough sleep. I find if I am sleep deprived, I can't write squat.

talktidy said:

Whenever you work, I would suggest you make sure you get enough sleep. I find if I am sleep deprived, I can't write squat.

Click to expand...

This.

I also find that if I'm sleepy the writing quality goes out the window.

Amen to getting enough sleep. It just makes everything better.

I do best sitting in my backyard, there's a forest in the back.

It means I get less writing done when it's too hot, when it's raining, and when the mosquitos come out. I really need a screened in porch.

I do this almost exactly. I can get so distracted during the day, but around eleven, everything suddenly becomes clear. Around two or three, I'll finally fall asleep, though sometimes I'll stay up even longer.