[M T McGuire]

I think a lot of it depends on how your creativity works. I'm surprised at the number of "what's the problem?" type responses there are here.

Mukoan, it sounds like your and my creative streaks might be similar. I find I'll have a phase of intense creativity followed by a less creative phase when the ideas aren't coming and the writing I produce doesn't click. I use these dips for editing. I am guessing your key difficulty arises when you're in a creative phase but the time is not available to utilise that creativity until you are knackered at the end of the day and physically unable to. Other folks, ask a teacher about revision, they will explain that the brain reaches saturation at a certain point and after that nothing more will go in until it is rested. THIS is what we're talking about I think.

I'm not sure everyone creative gets to the point when they're too tired to produce anything but then, other people may not live lives which are as hectic or be more organised. The fact is, it's a gift which works differently for everyone. All I can say is that if you're one of these people who can write glittering prose when your brain is fried beyond belief then you may not understand the point of this thread and frankly, I'm rather jealous of you.

That said, there are at least two people here with temperamental muses and I don't think it does any harm to compare notes and coping mechanisms.

This isn't the same as procrastination, it's not the same as writer's block, it's not about lack of desire to write, it's about finding ways to hold onto the stuff that comes out of your brain when it's fresh so you can write it up when it isn't.

Mukoan, apologies if I'm wading in here but I think you're raising a valid point.

Cheers

MTM