Back in the day, when I had a day job, I used to do a lot of my writing at night. I rarely got up early enough to do it in the morning (except the semester Ted had to be at class at 6:30: I got a lot of work done before work that semester), so by necessity I got it done at night. I had the family (Ted and Shaun) well-trained: they just wouldn’t bother me in the evenings while I sat down at my Nook computer and worked. I’d pause for dinner, and go back to work until my brain had dried up. I thought, in fact, that that was my optimal writing time: that I’d be just as happy staying up real late to write, and living on a schedule that didn’t have much to do with the functional world as we know it.
The last couple years, since I’ve had no day job (wow, this is year three. My God. I wouldn’t know what to do if I had to go back to work, would I?!), I’ve discovered I’m *scads* more efficient if I get up earlier and write in the morning. In fact, the earlier I get up and start writing, the more willing I am to work later (which almost doesn’t make sense, but it kind of does). I’m pretty happy if I’m writing, or at least at Nook, by 9am. Every hour after that that I’m not at Nook is a significant chunk less work I do, though getting there by 10 isn’t bad. It’s just not as good. If I don’t get to the computer by one or two, the day’s pretty much a total loss. It’s too late in the day to start, which *really* doesn’t make sense, but that’s how I tend to treat it.
On the occasions I get to work by 8am (which I’m working my way back to right now), I usually have 5K days. Sometimes more. It’s surprisingly easy to accomplish that much when I get an early start, and it’s extremely satisfying emotionally.
Today, you might guess, was a pretty good writing day. I got about 3800 words written, which, including the revised stuff, ended up being about a chapter and a half of forward motion, and also managed to go shopping and make applesauce. So yeah. Not a bad day.
Hm. My phrasing in this post (“I got a lot of work done before work that semester”) reminds me I could do a post about Writing As A Second Job. Maybe I’ll do that tomorrow.
ytd wordcount: 143,400
miles to Minas Tirith: 250
And this took you less than three years to discover? Took me um, twenty-nine years…?
(Actually, to be fair, I do think my internal clock has adjusted itself with age. I used to work all night, delightedly. Then I stopped working late, and it really has taken ten, fifteen years to realise that the corollary of that is that I really need to start working early. It’s not breaking old habits that’s hard, it’s instating new ones…)
I love writing in the mornings, except my current job schedule involves waking up at 4:30am just to get to work, so it’s pretty much a no-go right now. Which is sad to me, but while I might be happy getting up at 3:30am, going to bed at 7 would probably cause some relationship strain ;)
I try to apply it on the weekends, though, since I tend to wake up early on weekends, too. I just dont have to be anywhere.
I’m considering making my work scheduling forward an hour or two, but on the road at 5:30am, my drive is already about 40 minutes in, about 50 minutes home. And that’s before rush hour!
I shall live vicariouly through you. :D