♦Welcome to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop!♦
Topic #282
Is there a certain time of day when you are most creative? When you handle
the ‘business’ side of writing? What’s your favorite time of day?
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Night time is the right time…
If I didn’t have to work a full time job to afford rent, daycare, and healthcare, I’d be working full time on my writing. Every day would be dedicated to the business and getting it done. Or, so I think.
Have you ever really thought through this question? I wake up at night and feel my brain most active. Without a day job, that would be sustainable. I’d be up later and sleeping into the morning or day. That would be at odds with my daughter’s schedule (school). She still needs me to take her to preschool and provide meals. Even if I was home, I’d need time to work without disruption. So, likely, I’d still lean on daycare. Otherwise, it would be necessary to both homeschool and supervise her. Since she’s up with the sun, that would painful!
Recently, I have also introduced a regular workout schedule to both manage pain (sciatica/prformis syndrome) and keep in good health. That takes up to 2 hours a day! It’s very hard to do that workout with the little one in another room, safe from those spinning wheels. Who do I get to watch her? It’s gotta be done.
Those things resolved, however, I’d still want to work on my writing and business when it’s most peaceful. That time is nighttime. The night, for some reason, just provides me better focus. I don’t know if it has to do with the dark or something higher like the universal mind has quieted down more. The day is just so noisy to me. I find myself laid out just dealing with the noise. That could be a neurodivergence I haven’t had diagnosed, yet. It’s hard to describe, but I find those with ADHD and other neurodivergent diagnosis tend to get what I am saying.
Give me a comfortable desk chair and the night, and I will go to work like a little bee. Probably my plan would be to take care of my daughter’s needs and other things through the morning, use the afternoon to work on business matters, and then write after she goes to bed for a few hours, until I’ve grown too sleepy to continue. To be honest, that sounds like pure heaven to me. Me and Fionn would even have time for walks!
That pesky day job is getting in the way!
If there were an easier way for me to meet my financial needs, I wish I had taken it. At this point in my career, however, it would be foolish to quit. I’m not that far out from retiring. One has to think of their future, especially when children are involved in that equation. With me being my daughter’s only provider and family, I can’t just think of myself. Besides, I’ve always been responsible. I consider the best course of action available to me. Working a day job with benefits is a smart move, as far as I am concerned. It has also been a way to meet my desire to give back to my community. So, it’s not all bad.
I’ve learned a lot about writing from my day job, too. Although my day is filled up writing for others, I’m getting the practice I need regularly. I am also always professionally developing, which is part of the business. If you think about it, the job is just an extension of authorship. That’s a blessing. Many don’t have that kind of useful feedback loop.
Once my daughter gets older, you can bet my hours will change. So too, my hours will change with retirement. Living the best life is the best way to feed an author’s mind. Our material, after all, is fed by experience. Considering I like to touch on social issues, working in a field that pertains keeps me up to date. Retirement might not be the greatest thing for my work! I could easily fall out of the loop. That said, I do a lot of research on my own, and my connections are always providing resources.
Click on one of the links below to find out what time of day the other authors work best in.
