What Time Do You Write?
The most common answer is either early in the morning or late at night. Author Dennis Lehane humorously once stated he’s never known a writer who writes in the middle of the day.
Further, he states one of the reasons writers choose to work at dawn or in the bleakest hours of the night is because these are the times in which we’re closest to a dream state (might it also be the most practical for those who don’t get to write for a living?). Lehane, who prefers the morning, goes so far as to say that ideally you should role out of bed and start writing immediately-coffee’s allowed but nothing else. He suggests that such a close proximity to your dream state produces richer, more mysterious work.
The writer Michael Chabon, on the other hand, is notorious for writing in the middle of the night. Even with a family, he still sticks to this routine (though he’s stated he picks a few days each week to make sure he wakes up early to eat breakfast with his children and take them to school). Chabon is proof that a writer’s tie to their routine might go beyond habit, and that the mysteries of the craft transcend mere talent. There are things that enable a writer to do their best work that are beyond explanation.
But Brooke Fossey, whose debut novel The Big Finish was released this year, likes to write in the middle of the day! And not only that, but she’s stated that rather than extended writing sessions, she just looks for little pockets of open time when she can pop open her laptop and get a few words down. I wonder if the advantage to this is that you feel like you’re getting away with something by sneaking in some writing when you would least expect to? Who knows what ideas might emerge for the writer in this scenario that otherwise would lie undiscovered?
The point is, there’s no ideal time to write. Try things out. See what works for you. And don’t forget that writing should be enjoyable. So think about not just what time you produce your best work, but what time you enjoy the act of putting words on a page the most.
