Last week I set the time and place for the February Writers
Hangout. I always have it scheduled from 6-8pm, mostly because it’s a Happy
Hour type of event, but also because I’m an early-to-bed kind of gal. It’s not
unusual for me to be bathed, in my pjs, and pulling the sheets up over my head
by 9:30pm. A lady had asked that I move the event time to be from 7-9pm. Um…nope.
It may be more convenient for you, but that’s just too close to my bedtime.
Sleep is so, so important to my creative process. I just don’t
function well if I haven’t had a good nights’ rest. This morning I awoke at 4am
to a splitting headache. I only had 5 hours sleep. My day today may not be that
productive after lunch, not just because I’m feeling badly still, but because I
didn’t have enough rest. I did get up and journal…eventually…but not right when
I woke up.
I find on days I go to bed late, as in after 10pm, that I
just can’t possibly wake up by 5:30am to get my morning pages in. I will wake
at 6:30am and only have time to get ready and a bite to eat before heading off
to work at 7:20. I then end up doing them at work. That cuts into much of my
worktime where I need to be active and creative for my job, but also keeps me
from really concentrating on what I’m doing. I have constant interruptions with
my day job as a librarian. Sounds weird, but it’s true. I’m not complaining as
it’s part of what I do and its expected of me, but it’s not contusive to
creative writing. I lose my train of thought entirely too easily and it takes
me forever to get back on track once I remember where I stopped.
Rest. It is so important. Not just to your health, but to
your creative juices. Some writers can write until the wee hours of the
morning, others have to go to bed early and get up before sunrise to get
anything accomplished. I am that before sunrise lady. Don’t get upset if I don’t
come to your event or if I have to tuck out early on a weeknight. It’s not that
I don’t want to be there, having all the fun with the fun people. It’s that I
must go to sleep!