The Witching Hour - Midnight writer

Michael Black wrote a knockout essay on life as a cop on the night shift yesterday, so be sure to check it out.

My life at the "witching hour" is not nearly so exciting as Michael's. At the magic hour of midnight, I'm usually already abed and snoozing. Unless I'm facing a writing deadline. Then, it's a whole different story. And I change from snoozy suburbanite into...

The Midnight Writer (aka The Night Owl).

Midnight Writer / Night Owl

Fiction writing late at night has my preferred process since the start. Given that I also write and edit for the day job(s), by the time I sit down to noodle on my historical mysteries, my analytical/editorial brain is too pooped to sneer at my dialogue and fanciful turns of phrase. Writing at night, often until 2 a.m., allows me to more easily "get in the zone" and spin out the words.

Also, back when I was working on my first couple of books, my kids were still fairly young. By waiting to write until after they went to bed, I was able to write late into the night when the house was quiet and there were no distractions.

That worked well then.

While I was drafting the two middle books of my series, the kids were staying up later than I was (!!).

So much for the peaceful, quiet house from 10p.m. to midnight and beyond. 

During those times, I took a catch-as-catch-can approach, writing whenever I could fit it in. I've never been an early morning type, although I tried. The few times I got up dawn/pre-dawn to write before work, wow, it did NOT go well for me at all. I simply drank way more coffee than usual, stared for long, blank periods at the screen, shivered in the cold early-morning house, and got bleary-eyed and sleepy in the office as the afternoon wore on. For those books, I tended to work more on the weekends, and could occasionally be found hiding out at my good buddy/fellow LadyKiller Camille Minichino's house, banging out 30, 40, 50 pages in her guest room over a weekend, while she fed me, kept me caffeinated, and brainstormed with me on various plot and timing problems.

For the last couple books, I've returned to my natural late-night rhythm, with a twist. The daily process that seems to have worked best for me is the following:

MORNING

• Get up, drink coffee, stagger around, feed the cat
• Read the paper
• Work on non-writing related job tasks (usually editing/proofing/business-related tasks)

AFTERNOON

• do work-related writing (usually until 4p.m.-6p.m.)
• Take a nap
• Drink at least one cup of leaded coffee

EVENING/NIGHT

• Dinner, decompress (usually by watching a little something on Netflix with my sadly neglected spouse)
• Sit down and start writing (starting about 9p.m. to 10p.m.)
• Write until the midnight hour has come and gone and I can no longer see/think straight

So, it seems I'm back to my midnight-writing ways, with the critical added elements of a late nap and a stiff cup of coffee at a time of day when most folks have switched to decaf.

One writing habit I refuse to break: I still run off to Camille's every now and again for a day/night/day much-appreciated writing marathon and brainstorming break. There's nothing like a good friend to bring some much needed perspective into  the late-night writer's life... especially when that good buddy is also a writer. And, did I mention, Camille is also a midnight writer? :-)

Here's to writers—the how and when doesn't matter so much as just getting the words on the page.

P.S. For those participating: wishing you a great NaNoWriMo!

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Comments

[Michael A. Black]

Your dedication to the craft of writing is obvious, Ann. This sort of reminded me of the legendary tales of Elmore Leonard and how he used to get up early to write and wouldn't even start the coffee-maker until he'd written that first sentence. And wow, 30 to 50 pages over a weekend! That's amazing.

[camille minichino]

There goes Ann, again, revealing all my habits!

[Ann]

Hi Michael!
Those early morning people boggle my mind. I can't figure out how they do it.
Well, I could probably do a sentence, but not pages and pages.
And panic and deadlines are great motivators for me!

[Ann]

Hiya Camille!
But all your habits are such GOOD habits! ;-)

[Carole Price]

What a prolific writer you are, Michael. Where did you get the photo?

[Kathy Daniels]

I can really relate to this post, as I stumble over the poor cat trying to get to my coffee machine.