Writing at night?

eBooksgp · 11-18-2011, 11:50 AM

Hi All,

Does anyone else find it easier to write at night? I've tried it during the day when I'm off work but just cant seem to get into the flow.

is this good or bad or, does it really matter?

mr ploppy · 11-18-2011, 11:58 AM

Once you develop a routine it's hard to break it. I can only write in bed with a laptop, though I can proof read anywhere. It's probably a psychological barrier more than anything else.

ekster · 11-18-2011, 12:17 PM

My most productive time is a couple of hours before bedtime.

And while I can write during the day, I am usually too distracted by wanting to do other things at that time.

Steven Lyle Jordan · 11-18-2011, 01:25 PM

It's good if you're not depriving yourself of needed sleep! Don't forget, when sleep-deprived, your brain can mis-interpret things and make something seem perfectly sensible and legible... when it is not. (Make sure you're proofing that text!)

If you're functional and productive at night, go for it. Or maybe you want to identify what it is about that time of day that makes you most productive, and strive to set aside the time and create such an environment during the day.

EileenG · 11-18-2011, 08:00 PM

I can write at night, and I do if I haven't written enough during the day, but I find I sort of plod it out, while if I write during the day, it's much brighter.

JeremyR · 11-19-2011, 01:30 AM

I have dogs, so I pretty much can't write until they are asleep, which is at night.

Unfortunately, I also have cats, which are nocturnal. They have a short attention span, but when they want attention they want attention and start knocking things off my desk.

morriss003 · 11-19-2011, 04:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

It's good if you're not depriving yourself of needed sleep! Don't forget, when sleep-deprived, your brain can mis-interpret things and make something seem perfectly sensible and legible... when it is not. (Make sure you're proofing that text!)

Sometimes I do my best work at night, but more often it's after I've had a good nights sleep and I feel energized.

eBooksgp · 11-19-2011, 06:59 AM

thanks all for your replies..... laptop in bed is the way i do it too Mr Ploppy.

I do find that sometimes when im out and about an idea pops into my head, i have to write it down before i forget.

GP

[non-forum signature removed - moderation]

VydorScope · 11-20-2011, 09:30 PM

I do all my best work of any kind at night. My productivity level appears to run inverse of the Sun which is why I work the day shift at my real job.

Todd Young · 11-20-2011, 11:35 PM

I write in the mornings, but I get tired of hearing people say that such and such is the best time to write. There are times when I have written at night, even all night. I don't think time is an issue.

eBooksgp · 11-21-2011, 03:04 AM

Fair comment Todd, suppose it boils down to personal preference.

[non-forum signature removed - moderation]

OneandonlyDoc · 11-21-2011, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeremyR

Unfortunately, I also have cats, which are nocturnal. They have a short attention span, but when they want attention they want attention and start knocking things off my desk.

My cat does similar things, though it usually involves trying to drink whatever I'm drinking or stealing the pens I leave laying on my desk (and if I let her knock them off my desk, odds are I'll never see them again).

I write whenever I can scrape together time when I'm not at my day job--sometimes that means early in the morning, sometimes late at night.

What you might want to try is having a shower after you come home from work, thinking about what you want to work on. Some of my best ideas come when I'm in the shower, and I'm able to sit down at my desk at night and the words just start to flow better (maybe it's the heat).

eBooksgp · 11-21-2011, 09:35 AM

OneandonlyDoc - I like your post thank you, i must admit ideas do pop into my head in the shower... thank you

crich70 · 11-21-2011, 02:36 PM

I think it's a matter of personal preference. I've even written during the day while sitting in a booth at a local restaurant down the road from where I live. I just order coffee and spend a few hrs (til the battery is close to being dead) typing on my netbook.

lindsayw · 11-21-2011, 08:37 PM

The 20 years I spent as a free-lance animator set my routine in stone, I'm afraid. Animation needs hours of uninterrupted concentration, which you just can't get during the day, what with phones, family, pets and visitors. Early evening was always the start of my "day" and it ran until I reached a break point. My writing follows that same routine and I'm comfortable with it... being retired now helps, of course. One day is much like another, and your body clock keeps you to the routine, too. Yes, it makes me dogmatic in my attitudes, but I've yet to meet an author who isn't!

11-18-2011, 11:50 AM	#1
eBooksgp Connoisseur Posts: 67 Karma: 608380 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Cardiff Device: iPhone	Writing at night? Hi All, Does anyone else find it easier to write at night? I've tried it during the day when I'm off work but just cant seem to get into the flow. is this good or bad or, does it really matter?

11-19-2011, 06:59 AM	#8
eBooksgp Connoisseur Posts: 67 Karma: 608380 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Cardiff Device: iPhone	thanks all for your replies..... laptop in bed is the way i do it too Mr Ploppy. I do find that sometimes when im out and about an idea pops into my head, i have to write it down before i forget. GP [non-forum signature removed - moderation] Last edited by dreams; 11-21-2011 at 03:14 AM. Reason: non-forum signature removed - moderation

11-21-2011, 03:04 AM	#11
eBooksgp Connoisseur Posts: 67 Karma: 608380 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Cardiff Device: iPhone	Fair comment Todd, suppose it boils down to personal preference. [non-forum signature removed - moderation] Last edited by dreams; 11-21-2011 at 03:16 AM. Reason: non-forum signature removed - moderation

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11-18-2011, 11:58 AM	#2
mr ploppy Feral Underclass Posts: 3,622 Karma: 26821535 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Yorkshire, tha noz Device: 2nd hand paperback	Once you develop a routine it's hard to break it. I can only write in bed with a laptop, though I can proof read anywhere. It's probably a psychological barrier more than anything else.

11-18-2011, 12:17 PM	#3
ekster Currently without a title Posts: 203 Karma: 3209914 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Canada, Qc Device: Kobo Touch	My most productive time is a couple of hours before bedtime. And while I can write during the day, I am usually too distracted by wanting to do other things at that time.

11-18-2011, 01:25 PM	#4
Steven Lyle Jordan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,478 Karma: 5171130 Join Date: Jan 2006 Device: none	It's good if you're not depriving yourself of needed sleep! Don't forget, when sleep-deprived, your brain can mis-interpret things and make something seem perfectly sensible and legible... when it is not. (Make sure you're proofing that text!) If you're functional and productive at night, go for it. Or maybe you want to identify what it is about that time of day that makes you most productive, and strive to set aside the time and create such an environment during the day.

11-18-2011, 08:00 PM	#5
EileenG Zealot Posts: 146 Karma: 7462052 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Dublin Device: My phone	I can write at night, and I do if I haven't written enough during the day, but I find I sort of plod it out, while if I write during the day, it's much brighter.

11-19-2011, 01:30 AM	#6
JeremyR Guru Posts: 973 Karma: 2458402 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: St. Louis Device: Kindle Keyboard, Nook HD+	I have dogs, so I pretty much can't write until they are asleep, which is at night. Unfortunately, I also have cats, which are nocturnal. They have a short attention span, but when they want attention they want attention and start knocking things off my desk.

11-20-2011, 09:30 PM	#9
VydorScope Wizard Posts: 3,418 Karma: 35207650 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: iPad	I do all my best work of any kind at night. My productivity level appears to run inverse of the Sun which is why I work the day shift at my real job.

11-20-2011, 11:35 PM	#10
Todd Young Addict Posts: 243 Karma: 1004164 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Kindle 2	I write in the mornings, but I get tired of hearing people say that such and such is the best time to write. There are times when I have written at night, even all night. I don't think time is an issue.

11-21-2011, 09:35 AM	#13
eBooksgp Connoisseur Posts: 67 Karma: 608380 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Cardiff Device: iPhone	OneandonlyDoc - I like your post thank you, i must admit ideas do pop into my head in the shower... thank you

11-21-2011, 02:36 PM	#14
crich70 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,310 Karma: 43993832 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Monroe Wisconsin Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)	I think it's a matter of personal preference. I've even written during the day while sitting in a booth at a local restaurant down the road from where I live. I just order coffee and spend a few hrs (til the battery is close to being dead) typing on my netbook.

11-21-2011, 08:37 PM	#15
lindsayw Author from pBook days Posts: 49 Karma: 10782 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Australia Device: Kindle-3-Keyboard; 8" Android Tablet	The 20 years I spent as a free-lance animator set my routine in stone, I'm afraid. Animation needs hours of uninterrupted concentration, which you just can't get during the day, what with phones, family, pets and visitors. Early evening was always the start of my "day" and it ran until I reached a break point. My writing follows that same routine and I'm comfortable with it... being retired now helps, of course. One day is much like another, and your body clock keeps you to the routine, too. Yes, it makes me dogmatic in my attitudes, but I've yet to meet an author who isn't!

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