There’s this thing I have had to face for about sixteen years. I stay up late. And then I sleep in. And I feel guilty. I usually sleep eight or eight and a half hours. The rest of the day is pretty much busy. But I get to bed so late and it’s supposed to be sort of bad for you. And sometimes, not being in synch with the sun, you end up with problems.
Why do I do it?
It’s simple. Because during the day it’s nothing but people people everywhere. Calling. Texting. Emailing. Throwing rocks through my window with notes attached. It’s completely fantastic and I would not want it to be any other way.
But when you’re a writer, you need time when you are completely alone and quiet. I find the only time of day for such a thing is after midnight. (I know, some people get up at 6 AM and write for a few hours before the day begins. I don’t even understand what it is to be an organism at that time of day.)
So, I get my four hours in at the end. After all the calls and meetings and shenanigans. After the pork chops. After the one or two glasses of wine followed by the three or four cups of tea with just one aching tea bag. After the exercise that never happened. After the bills. After the cleaning. After the facebooking. After the paper. After the emails. After the show. After the whole damn shebang.
Living is very important. Writing comes second. If writing came first, I bet I would not have much to write about.
2 comments:
Hey, just be glad you CAN put in those 4 hours. If you can do that and and sleep 8 hours alnd everything else in a 24-hour period, that's success. Me, I couldn't figure it out. I had to quit my job, sell my house, spend every penny I have and bankrupt any possibility of retirement in order to do art everyday. I feel guilty about that too. If I can't work all day and then do art into the late hours. Suffer and lose sleep over it, make myself sick and chop off my ear, am I really worthy of being a creative person?
Sounds like a plan that works for you!
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