Lately I’ve been going through a really productive time, writing-wise. Lots of ideas, lots of getting it down on paper, lots of revisiting and revisioning and revisiting and revisioning. This, as you might imagine, feels good.
So, what’s the rub? That when I go through these crazy muse-driven stages, I don’t sleep. I don’t know if my synapses get lodged in the on position or what, but I lie in bed, night after night, wide awake.
Wide.
Awake.
Sometimes I get up and read. Sometimes I write. Sometimes I cry. One time recently I got all confused and got dressed for my morning run before realizing it was 4 a.m. Which, in my opinion, is not necessarily when you want to clock a few miles.
Before this little phase (let’s not use the word episode since that sounds diagnosable), I rode the vivid dream express for about six weeks. I slept, but boy-oh-man were those dreams something. I mean, I lived with them for hours after waking. Whether I wanted to or not. Frankly, it was a little distracting.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying I’d trade all this for writer’s block, but I am curious about how the rest of you wild minds strike a balance. I mean, can you schedule this stuff? And what about, y’know, the rest of life? Like putting gas in the car or making breakfast or occasionally sweeping the floor. I’m not talking about perfect here, folks, I’m just talking about avoiding the authorities and keeping the family free of any dirt-borne diseases. Sigh.
OK, I’m signing off now. I think I’ll go to bed early.
‘Cause you never know. Tonight might be the night…
from one insomniac to another- this too shall pass, right? ebb and flow? suffer for genius?? sleep tight- or if not, remember my light is probably on-
kathie
Right. Right right right. Won’t you be surprised if one of these days I just come over!
Rockabye, and goodnight….go to sleep…Liz Scanlon…
I WISH my writing was what kept me up. Usually it’s all the stuff I didn’t get to because I wrote instead…like the laundry (bane of my existence), or school stuff.
My productive, crazy-wheel spinning time comes when I drive. Which, come to think of it, is probably a bad thing–zoning out when piloting a large piece of machinery? Umm….
Re: Rockabye, and goodnight….go to sleep…Liz Scanlon…
The laundry is the bane of my existance, too. I actually cannot believe how much a family generates. It is stunning to me. Drive CAREFULLY and sleep tight!
Have you ever read Nancy Kress’s book Beggars in Spain? Parents genetically alter their children so they don’t need sleep. WHY? WHAT??? you ask. (I loved it when my kids slept!) Because it makes them super productive and smart. All that dream state energy gets turned into wide-awake “lucid” dreaming. Soon, there are two classes of people, those who need sleep and those that don’t. I thought it was a fascinating premise for a book, and well-written.
I dreamed about blog comments last night. Isn’t that pathetic?
Sara Holmes
Oh my god. I remember all too well when my kids didn’t sleep. And how much dumber and unproductive I was getting. Creeeeepy book. But the wide-awake lucid dreaming I’m down with. That’s the ticket. Hope you dream more sweetly tonight, Sara…
Ah, so you DO get it!!!!
🙂
Yep, pretty much.
Sometimes misery loves company 🙂
Did you sleep last night???