I write this now with a heavy head and that oh-so-tired sick feeling in my stomach. Why, you ask? Well, it's because Mr TR had a conference call for work last night at 3 a.m. Yes. 3 BLOODY A.M.! Silly Australians, what are they playing at? Don't they know people's wives need their beauty sleep? I've always been a light sleeper, and having Mr TR shuffling around talking about God knows what kind of organisms in the middle of the night is not exactly conducive to resting.
But I've noticed a funny thing. Sometimes, the less sleep I have, the more writing I do. I reckon it's because my mind stays put -- I'm too tired to flit from Facebook to Twitter and back again. I can only focus on the document at hand. My butt stays put, too. No wandering around looking for floors to clean or Twizzlers to munch.
What about you? Do you write more when you're rested? Or does it matter?
Oh, no. Conferences at 3am? How dare they!
ReplyDeleteBack to writing and sleeping - I actually dreamt in the third person the other night. I was actually creating the dream as if I was the writer of it, which technically is true I suppose. Now I'm confused. Cofffee!!!
Did I just put three F's in coffee? Decaf I think.
ReplyDeleteMy writing brain is ALL over the place. I never know when it's going to perk up.
ReplyDeleteI write more when I'm rested, but my mind takes more interesting twists when I'm exhausted! That said, get some sleep!!!
ReplyDelete3am! You poor thing! I'm actually a heavy sleeper - nothing except my kids wakes me (i have weird 6th sense when they need me in the middle of the night).
ReplyDeleteI definitely write more when I'm rested. If I'm tired my brain is mush.
Suzie (who is now craving Twizzlers)
Doesn't make much difference for me. Maybe if I could write at home it would.
ReplyDeleteWeirdly, I'm able to focus better when I have 100 things going on at once. When I only have one thing to do, I'll always feel like a nap!
ReplyDeleteI've found that I write more at 1am in the morning, and it's usually good stuff too!
ReplyDeleteDuncan In Kuantan
I usually write best first thing in the morning right when I finish drinking coffee and checking my email.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a pattern. Not one that I can discern anyway. Some days are productive, some aren't...Coffee does help though.
ReplyDeleteI always think I'm completely useless when I'm tired, but you make an excellent point about the lack of wandering.
ReplyDeleteI bopped down to your last post and here's what I...actually William Faulkner...has to say about that (it's the one and only quote I've chosen for my Goodreads profile):
Don't be a writer. Be writing.
- William Faulkner
So, I don't think we ever have to think of ourselves as writer or authors. We just have to do what we love and get it out there for the world to enjoy.
My brain needs to be awake and in full writing mode. It's been well behaved today.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get some sleep. I write better in mid afternoon. Although, I rather write in the morning, but the kids put an axe in that.
ReplyDeleteI concentrate much better when I'm rested. And last night was hard for me too as my youngest has asthma and kept waking up in the middle of night coughing. Then I'd put him on a nebulizer to help him breathe and he'd scream his head off.
ReplyDeleteOh, well -- that's life.
My mind wanders whether I have had lots of sleep or little. My muse gives a fig what time it is or how rested I am just like Mr. TR's boss, or whoever the crazy Australian is.
ReplyDeleteI need sleep. I can write without it, but I have to really force myself.
ReplyDeletePoor you! I hope you have a good night tonight. As for writing, sleep or no sleep don't seem to figure much :-/
ReplyDeleteOh, I feel your pain. I got no sleep at all last night. None. And not because of any conference calls, just because my body decied it wouldn't sleep. I don't function right either after those nights. Productivity has gone down the drain....
ReplyDeleteHope you'll get a better night of sleep tonight!
That is really, *really* interesting about the lack of sleep/writing correlation. I think there's definitely something to that, the inner editor is a bit sluggish ...
ReplyDeleteI'm a super-light sleeper, and it usually takes me an eternity to fall asleep. I think I write better when I've had a decent amount of sleep. Without it I think my brain kind of slows down, and the writing doesn't flow as well.
ReplyDeleteOdd hour conference calls are the story of my life. Well, technically my hubs life but it impacts me too : )
ReplyDeleteHope you get a lot of writing done and maybe a nap! I am a fan of the nap.
I write better when I'm waiting for sleep than when I've just woken up. Don't always have a choice though.
ReplyDeleteI write best when I'm somewhat tired, especially if I go on an hour's less sleep a night for several days in a row. But when it catches up to me, I can't focus enough to write well. That's when I flit about. And if I'm totally comfy and well-rested, forget it. I don't want to do anything except read.
ReplyDeleteAnd do you know it's winter in aussieland!??! The audacity of it all!! LOL!!
ReplyDeleteBut seriously!! I hope you and Mr TR got some much needed rest after all that rude awakenings!! Yay that you were able to do some writing though!
Me - I need my 10 hours sleep plus extra naps to even think about using my brain!! :-) Take care
x
3 AM conference calls? Too bad they can't quietly send emails.
ReplyDeleteSometimes the writing's there when the sleep isn't. But maybe by writing you're getting a form of hypnosis by concentrating so much on your work.
There are times when I do write better when I'm tired. Possibly because it quiets one part of the brain that seems to be overactive and allows the creative side free rein without distractions.
ReplyDeleteWhen I'm tired I go two ways as far as social flitting, either I'm gung-ho and giggling and up, or I go the other way, don't want to be bothered with people at all. I become rather like a hermit at those times, lol!
Sia McKye's Thoughts...OVER COFFEE
Aww poor you! I'm always at my best when I'm under pressure because I get on with it, otherwise, I am sooo distracted...hence why I am rading your fabby Blog and not working! Giggle! x
ReplyDeleteThree in the morning is a lovely time for settling down to sleep....
ReplyDeletei often fall asleep when i'm writing. It's a combination of factors, really, but there you have it
ReplyDeleteI'm hopeless if I've not had a good night's sleep but as that's a lot of the time I have to make do with sleep deprived writing. I did read that some writers have produced their best work under the influence of drugs (not that I'm recommending it). I just wondered if sleeplessness could have a similar effect.
ReplyDeleteYep, I definitely write better when I'm rested, although I don't seem to be able to get up at 4am at the moment like I used to.
ReplyDeleteMy hubby does the conference calls to Australia too so huge sympathy!
xx
I write whenever the mood strikes me. But I also try to force myself to write on schedule--whether I'm rested or in a zombie like state.
ReplyDeletenutschell
www.thewritingnut.com
Gosh, he is lucky he still lives to tell the tale, he wouldn't in my house. LOL
ReplyDeleteI like to rise before the sun in the hot summer days (now), and write. My brain is overflowing with useful info instead of the usual crap it retains.
Hope you get some brain sleep, you don't need beauty sleep. x
I write 'better' after a good night's sleep, but I write 'more' if I'm tired. I guess that's it - we're too tired to procrastinate.
ReplyDeleteBut 3 AM??? That's just cruel.
Hi Talli .. I hate middle of the nighters - the time with my mother in hospital just about finished me - thankfully doesn't happen too often! Sleep - I need all I can get .. wet blanket otherwise .. and I write better with a clean slate, clean house and clear brain .. trouble is that takes some doing ..
ReplyDeleteSleep tight tonight .. ?! Cheers Hilary
No sleep. No happy Betty. It's that simple.
ReplyDeleteHope you get a nap today!
You poor thing! I've never tried writing while sleep deprived. Hmm, I might give that a shot. ;)
ReplyDeleteI know what you're talking about. Sometimes friends call from Moscow early in the morning, forgetting about the time difference. This disturbs my beauty sleep.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get lots of writing done!! :) And I can't write when I'm too tired, I really need all my thinking capacity. I wish I could though. :)
ReplyDeletePoor you! I'm the exact opposite. If I have no sleep, I don't write at all! But good luck to you. Take advantage of your sleepy-self.:)
ReplyDeleteMy poor husband was back and forth last night, home at 6pm, out at 9pm, home at 11pm, out again at 1.15 and back just after 3am. No idea how he does it.
ReplyDeleteGood question. I tend to write more when I'm rested, but not too well-rested. There are times when I'm stay up so late typing that I'll almost fall asleep at the keyboard! I'll stay up really late or a week or so in a row and then crash. I can only go so long without good sleep.
ReplyDeleteI had to re-read when you wrote organisms... I thought it said orgasms... thank God the caffiene is now kicking in.
ReplyDeleteWow what a time to have a conference!
I love writing between 6-10am too bad I work during those hours. Talk about a bummer. So the hours I would normally blog is where writing is replaced. Boo.
The hubs back in school though so blogging is back on for now! WOOHOO!
Ha - I'm like Jen, I had to re-read 'organisms' a couple of times... doh! You poor tired thing!
ReplyDeleteI'm finding that, despite not being a morning person AT ALL, my strict 6am start time to get me through BuNoWriMo is working really well, because I wake up the slogging writing part, but those niggly daytime thoughts and my inner-crittic and shufflebum can't be bothered to get out of bed yet!
Lxxx
I do find I am more creative when I am tired. I believe it is because I am too tired to get in my own way, so everything just flows better. Yes, those Aussies can be silly!
ReplyDeleteI write the most ridiculous crap when I'm too tired. It's amazing how circular my thinking can be - the same scene will chase itself in circles. Requires lots of deleting!
ReplyDeleteOh boy, I really need to have slept well to think up words and string them together. In fact I can't do anything when I'm tired. I gave up drinking coffee for a while to cut down on caffine but now I'm back on it as a way to get me through a tiring day. Yawwwwwnnnn.
ReplyDeleteI've been able to write both ways, but I do notice that sometimes when I'm a bit sleep-deprived I tend to write more and/or better. I think my mind loosens up a little and is too tired to think about all the other stuff that otherwise can cloud the creative process.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt I need my rest. I need sleep and take naps whenever I can. I have to be rested to write. If I'm tired or feeling cantankerous then I'm not going to be able to write at all.
ReplyDeleteI bank my good rest and write into the wee hours, then spend the next few days recovering. It's not healthy, but it's what happens!
ReplyDeleteOmg, I feel like I'm completely opposite of you! If I don't have enough sleep I can't concentrate on writing. All I can do is mindlessly flutter around the internet, staring at my facebook page and waiting for something interesting to pop up.
ReplyDeleteWell I'm not sure I should ever come here again being that i'm a 'silly Australian.' Clever I'd say, getting Mr TR outta bed instead of hisself!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely need my beauty sleep to write.
D:
Mostly, I need to shut off the flipping internet! That being said, I need a solid 8 hours. Anything less than that and I am a wreck all day, not to mention crabby, highly unpleasant person. The whole world is a better place when I get all the sleep I need.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about the conference call, but I'm glad you made metaphorical lemonade from a conference call on organisms. Well, not from the organisms themselves, I hope. :)
Yes, no, sometimes, I don't know... haha... I know exactly what you mean though! Sometimes when I haven't slept, that's when the creativity bug bites, and other times, I can't type a single word until I've woken up the next day.
ReplyDeleteI hate waking up in the middle of the night, especially to talk on the phone. There's no going back to sleep after that. Good for you getting some writing done. All wasn't lost.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your sleepless night. I'm a light sleeper too.
ReplyDeleteI actually write better and more when I am "Wired for sound!"
ReplyDeleteLack of sleep and tension gets my bet writing done. Weird, eh?
Hmm, maybe I should try becoming sleep-deprived so I can get more work done... :)
ReplyDeleteI'm a part-time insomniac and a lot of my best writing is done when I haven't been able to sleep well. Some of my worst as well, but you take what you can get at 3 AM.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I get my second wind and feel inspired to write in the wee hours. There's no rhyme or reason to it. Hope you get a good night's sleep! Julie
ReplyDeleteHi Talli,
ReplyDeleteGetting up in the middle of the night to write works for me!
Sleep well!
I can barely do anything when I'm shattered. I hope you catch up on sleep soon. I get really really cranky when I'm tired.
ReplyDeleteI write more when I'm rested. I have a hard time staying focused when I'm lacking a good night's sleep.
ReplyDeleteYou and me both. But I'm hanging on for wine o'clock!
ReplyDelete