December 6th, 2009 / 6:47 pm
 Snippets
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How does your writing or creative states affect your sleep?

50 Comments

  1. December 6th, 2009 / 11:35 pm Jeroen Nieuwland—

      Causes very irregular sleeping patterns. Sometimes can’t get to sleep, or wake up in middle of night, then get up to write. Sometimes write until late and get to bed in middle of night. I like nights, but have a hunch that sleeping extremely irregular hours is not very good for health.

  2. December 6th, 2009 / 7:35 pm Jeroen Nieuwland—

      Causes very irregular sleeping patterns. Sometimes can’t get to sleep, or wake up in middle of night, then get up to write. Sometimes write until late and get to bed in middle of night. I like nights, but have a hunch that sleeping extremely irregular hours is not very good for health.

  3. December 7th, 2009 / 12:16 am dave erlewine—

      couldn’t sum me up any better

  4. December 6th, 2009 / 8:16 pm dave erlewine—

      couldn’t sum me up any better

  5. December 7th, 2009 / 12:23 am Gian—

      I sleep like a baby. I wake up crying every couple hours, having shit and piss myself. Why? Is there another way?

  6. December 6th, 2009 / 8:23 pm Gian—

      I sleep like a baby. I wake up crying every couple hours, having shit and piss myself. Why? Is there another way?

  7. December 7th, 2009 / 12:36 am thomas p levy—

      I sleep pretty regularly

      is that not dramatic enough?

  8. December 6th, 2009 / 8:36 pm thomas p levy—

      I sleep pretty regularly

      is that not dramatic enough?

  9. December 7th, 2009 / 1:12 am howie good—

      who sleeps?

  10. December 6th, 2009 / 9:12 pm howie good—

      who sleeps?

  11. December 7th, 2009 / 1:16 am Amy McDaniel—

      inversely

  12. December 6th, 2009 / 9:16 pm Amy McDaniel—

      inversely

  13. December 7th, 2009 / 1:17 am Blake Butler—

      explain?

  14. December 7th, 2009 / 1:17 am Blake Butler—

      so there is no relation, for you?

  15. December 6th, 2009 / 9:17 pm Blake Butler—

      explain?

  16. December 6th, 2009 / 9:17 pm Blake Butler—

      so there is no relation, for you?

  17. December 7th, 2009 / 1:24 am Amy McDaniel—

      sleep decreases as creative thoughts increase. and when my thoughts are boring and uncreative i get sleeeepy

  18. December 6th, 2009 / 9:24 pm Amy McDaniel—

      sleep decreases as creative thoughts increase. and when my thoughts are boring and uncreative i get sleeeepy

  19. December 7th, 2009 / 1:38 am Brandon Hobson—

      What Amy said.

  20. December 6th, 2009 / 9:38 pm Brandon Hobson—

      What Amy said.

  21. December 6th, 2009 / 9:49 pm Jeroen Nieuwland—

      Love sleep but wish I only needed 3 hours, like Christian – unsleepmonster – Bök when writing Eunoia (as he makes a point of making a point of). Or like other mad scientists who don’t sleep.

  22. December 7th, 2009 / 1:49 am Jeroen Nieuwland—

      Love sleep but wish I only needed 3 hours, like Christian – unsleepmonster – Bök when writing Eunoia (as he makes a point of making a point of). Or like other mad scientists who don’t sleep.

  23. December 7th, 2009 / 2:22 am Lily—

      i do what you do, blake. whatever you do, i copy. so what do you do/i do?

  24. December 6th, 2009 / 10:22 pm Lily—

      i do what you do, blake. whatever you do, i copy. so what do you do/i do?

  25. December 7th, 2009 / 2:25 am Jonny Ross—

      agree with majority of others

      periods of inspired writing = irregular sleeping patterns

      so there’s an upside to “writer’s block” — being well-rested

  26. December 6th, 2009 / 10:25 pm Jonny Ross—

      agree with majority of others

      periods of inspired writing = irregular sleeping patterns

      so there’s an upside to “writer’s block” — being well-rested

  27. December 7th, 2009 / 2:42 am Blake Butler—

      say what

  28. December 6th, 2009 / 10:42 pm Blake Butler—

      say what

  29. December 7th, 2009 / 2:55 am Roxane—

      I actually come up with most of my stories or find fixes to broken stories while I am sleeping. When I wake up, I record what I remember and then write it down later. As such, I’d say my writing keeps me, when I fall asleep thinking about a story, from sleeping well. I don’t sleep much.

  30. December 6th, 2009 / 10:55 pm Roxane—

      I actually come up with most of my stories or find fixes to broken stories while I am sleeping. When I wake up, I record what I remember and then write it down later. As such, I’d say my writing keeps me, when I fall asleep thinking about a story, from sleeping well. I don’t sleep much.

  31. December 7th, 2009 / 2:57 am darby—

      no relation. i don’t write at night though. i’m at my creative peak around 10:30am after enough coffee. i don’t think i’ve ever like stayed up beyond when i was tired because i was writing, or maybe years ago. why write something when i could be dreaming it. i like sleep and dreaming. i sleep in late to let dreams linger. dreaming feels more productive to me than writing these days.

  32. December 6th, 2009 / 10:57 pm darby—

      no relation. i don’t write at night though. i’m at my creative peak around 10:30am after enough coffee. i don’t think i’ve ever like stayed up beyond when i was tired because i was writing, or maybe years ago. why write something when i could be dreaming it. i like sleep and dreaming. i sleep in late to let dreams linger. dreaming feels more productive to me than writing these days.

  33. December 7th, 2009 / 3:04 am sasha fletcher—

      when i’m writing badly i sleep less. when i’m not writing it depends. if i’m not writing because it feels like i don’t need to write, then i sleep fine. if i’m not writing because of some other reason, then i sleep less fine. i’ve also had insomnia since i was 13, so although they’ve generally grown more related as time has passed, there are times when i just don’t sleep.
      stress has a great deal to do with it though. so writing relates to it in whatever way stress relates to writing. which is sometimes a bunch.

  34. December 6th, 2009 / 11:04 pm sasha fletcher—

      when i’m writing badly i sleep less. when i’m not writing it depends. if i’m not writing because it feels like i don’t need to write, then i sleep fine. if i’m not writing because of some other reason, then i sleep less fine. i’ve also had insomnia since i was 13, so although they’ve generally grown more related as time has passed, there are times when i just don’t sleep.
      stress has a great deal to do with it though. so writing relates to it in whatever way stress relates to writing. which is sometimes a bunch.

  35. December 7th, 2009 / 5:05 am drew kalbach—

      i’m unhappy when i’m not writing consistently/well so i generally get lower-quality/less sleep during those periods. the reverse is also true.

  36. December 7th, 2009 / 1:05 am drew kalbach—

      i’m unhappy when i’m not writing consistently/well so i generally get lower-quality/less sleep during those periods. the reverse is also true.

  37. December 7th, 2009 / 5:37 am ryan—

      write really early in the morning, sleep like a babe. 7-8 hours, wake up feeling like I was shot from a canon.

  38. December 7th, 2009 / 1:37 am ryan—

      write really early in the morning, sleep like a babe. 7-8 hours, wake up feeling like I was shot from a canon.

  39. December 7th, 2009 / 9:25 am shaun—

      My most inspired moments come when I am lying in bed and unable to sleep, I’ll come up with something that makes me roll out of bed and open one of the many notepad files on my desktop and start hammering away. I usually get 90% through a poem in this state, but cannot do any editing whatsoever at that time, because when I look back at it the next day I see how awfully I edited the stuff.

  40. December 7th, 2009 / 5:25 am shaun—

      My most inspired moments come when I am lying in bed and unable to sleep, I’ll come up with something that makes me roll out of bed and open one of the many notepad files on my desktop and start hammering away. I usually get 90% through a poem in this state, but cannot do any editing whatsoever at that time, because when I look back at it the next day I see how awfully I edited the stuff.

  41. December 7th, 2009 / 10:49 am Corey—

      Yeah, what does Blake do? I’m so boring, during the uni year I’m writing at the same time down to the minute, when disrupted by weird hospitality hours I’m tardy. This is related to sleep because I write when I’ve zoned myself like sportspeople “zone” themselves. What a shitty verb. Let’s continue with the shittiness. I zone best when I’ve slept best. A good writer is a healthy writer.

  42. December 7th, 2009 / 6:49 am Corey—

      Yeah, what does Blake do? I’m so boring, during the uni year I’m writing at the same time down to the minute, when disrupted by weird hospitality hours I’m tardy. This is related to sleep because I write when I’ve zoned myself like sportspeople “zone” themselves. What a shitty verb. Let’s continue with the shittiness. I zone best when I’ve slept best. A good writer is a healthy writer.

  43. December 7th, 2009 / 4:56 pm Ben Spivey—

      In a similar way I fix stories when I’m on the cusp of sleep rather than during sleep. In this way I keep a note pad next to my bed and I write down small sentences or whatever to remind me of what I thought. Sometimes I’ll have to get up and start typing again because the thoughts expand past jotted notes. I write better in the morning. When I’m writing I find that getting up around 8:00 a.m and typing until noon or one on a heap of coffee proves more productive.

  44. December 7th, 2009 / 12:56 pm Ben Spivey—

      In a similar way I fix stories when I’m on the cusp of sleep rather than during sleep. In this way I keep a note pad next to my bed and I write down small sentences or whatever to remind me of what I thought. Sometimes I’ll have to get up and start typing again because the thoughts expand past jotted notes. I write better in the morning. When I’m writing I find that getting up around 8:00 a.m and typing until noon or one on a heap of coffee proves more productive.

  45. December 7th, 2009 / 9:56 pm audri—

      + rather than see a therapist i remember my dreams, so my circadian rhythm has sort of evolved not to be interrupted
      + i am insomniatic and it usually takes me hours to fall asleep
      + when i do sleep i sleep deeply (through earthquakes on two occasions) so interruption rarely happens in the first place
      + if writing happens at all in correlation with my sleep cycle, it happens in the minutes before. that forked point where either i sink into the first and oddest REM phase or am jolted
      + if jolted, i am writing for almost the exact length of that first REM cycle and then my sleep is shot
      + elsewise, night showers/baths and afternoons post-3 cups of tea remain my optimal word collection times

  46. December 7th, 2009 / 5:56 pm audri—

      + rather than see a therapist i remember my dreams, so my circadian rhythm has sort of evolved not to be interrupted
      + i am insomniatic and it usually takes me hours to fall asleep
      + when i do sleep i sleep deeply (through earthquakes on two occasions) so interruption rarely happens in the first place
      + if writing happens at all in correlation with my sleep cycle, it happens in the minutes before. that forked point where either i sink into the first and oddest REM phase or am jolted
      + if jolted, i am writing for almost the exact length of that first REM cycle and then my sleep is shot
      + elsewise, night showers/baths and afternoons post-3 cups of tea remain my optimal word collection times

  47. December 7th, 2009 / 10:00 pm Blake Butler—

      agreed. i am shit when i dont sleep well, though my habits have gotten me used to not needing a lot, and a lot of ideas come from the blank state of not thinking with the conscious brain. it’s a messy mess.

  48. December 7th, 2009 / 6:00 pm Blake Butler—

      agreed. i am shit when i dont sleep well, though my habits have gotten me used to not needing a lot, and a lot of ideas come from the blank state of not thinking with the conscious brain. it’s a messy mess.

  49. December 8th, 2009 / 5:56 am MoGa—

      3 hours of sleep = productivity, for me, when it comes to how much gets down on paper
      6 hours of sleep = if i’m lucky
      9+ hours of sleep = when i’m bored with life

      lately, i’ve been in the 3 to 6 range

  50. December 8th, 2009 / 1:56 am MoGa—

      3 hours of sleep = productivity, for me, when it comes to how much gets down on paper
      6 hours of sleep = if i’m lucky
      9+ hours of sleep = when i’m bored with life

      lately, i’ve been in the 3 to 6 range