Hello, writing friends. I am writing you with a nice, refreshed mind this morning. Unbelievably, I actually slept a full night last night and didn’t wake up to write.
Not even once!
For the past week, every night I would go to bed around midnight and every morning I would wake up at 3am.
Monday.
Tuesday.
Wednesday.
I would lay in bed and my novel would slowly creep into my head as much as I mentally protested it and then, it was all over. I was wide awake and by 7am, I had pages of research notes taken or had worked on my outline.
So as a result, by last night I had a total of 9 hours of sleep over three days (minus an hour here or there for a catnap due to exhaustion), I was on the brink of delirium. Maybe I slept last night not because my body was returning to its original, pre-writing being, but because I was simply exhausted.
So I suppose tonight we will see which of my theories are correct. I sure am hoping for the first.
After my experience with writer’s insomnia this past week and in the past when I write, I am curious to this phenomenon. I suppose that you are mercy to the “muse” and need to respect, listen and be a slave to her whenever she beckons, even at 3am.
And the worst part of this whole debacle is, I actually enjoyed writing in the middle of the night. My mind is clear and the world is quiet. A beautiful, balanced place for writing.
This saddens me greatly though because I depend on sleep like a child and if I don’t get at least 7 hours a night, I am a dysfunctional human being. However, even more than my desire for rest, is my desire to become a successful writer. So here is to many more early mornings and tired afternoons!
Let me know if you struggle with writer’s insomnia as well and how you cope with it!
Kimberly Mellor 