Each morning I take the bus into work. It’s about a 45 minute ride, and since I have to get up horridly early (6:45 is when I leave to catch the bus) to show up on time., it’s a pretty dark ride until the very end. Yet, something about waking up in the early morning hour and sitting crammed in a bus seat, inspires me.
I’ve not considered myself an early morning person before, until I absolutely had to be, and wondered what the appeal of early morning writing was.
I put together a list of top 5 reasons why I like writing in the morning and I wonder if any of you can relate.
1) Nothing too awful has happened yet.
Unless I’m under the mellow spell of a glass of wine, if something crummy has happened in my day, it’s hard for me to turn my brain off at night long enough to enter the realm of imagination. I’m usually obsessing, ranting, figuring out how to solve the problem or whatnot.
If it’s early in the morning and I’m barely awake enough to register anything yet, it’s the perfect time for me to use that creative muscle. This is a major reason why I don’t install work email onto my phone. God help me if I read an annoying or worrisome email and it’s 10:30 pm at night. Goodbye sleep.
The first appeal of writing in the morning is that nothing awful has happened. Nothing has gotten in the way of the creative process.
2) A dream filled night can inspire me.
I love when I dream vividly. Like the kind of dream I’ll think about throughout the day. And because of this, my dream filled mind can inspire the story I’m working on and nudge the plot along or add a bizarre element that only a dream can throw in there.
3) It inspires the rest of the day.
Writing makes me happy. If I can start my day with something that makes me happy, I’m starting things out on the right foot. I will also feel more ready and confident to go back to that same story later on in the day, no matter what happens.
And since I rarely get rejected before 8 am, this is a good thing.
4) My mind is more open and less critical.
I don’t think my inner critic likes to wake up early. I’m pretty certain it doesn’t wake up until about 8 o’clock. When I’m writing early in the morning, I don’t hear those awful thoughts that say this piece of writing isn’t any good and that I really should work on something else. I’m much more at peace with my writing and the process.
5) I think the sunrise is my muse.
Something about watching the sky go from a dreary dark color to the beautiful array only the sunrise inspires me.
What time of day do you write best? What about that time inspires you?
For me, evening works better. I feel more productive.
Definitely!
There's nothing like a long, dark bus ride to make that lonely feeling I need to write. I think I read that you should find a niche, someplace you always go, same place, to write. Sounds like you found your niche!! 🙂
I think I did! It's the perfect setting for me! 🙂
I wrote early in the mornings only during NaNoWriMo because I had no other opstions (I wrote before going to work, I've never been good at writing at night). It kind of worked, but my favourite time in the day is early afternoon. Sadly, I'm at work at that time, so I've settled with writing midmorning, before going to work.
What didn't work for me in the early hours is that my brain is still half asleep and my eyes get watery looking at the pc screen. I had never considered this complication before.
But after I've written I feel like you: happy. If I have a good writing section, it lifts my whole day 🙂
I can't do TOO early in the morning, either. If I woke up before 6 to write, I'd be way too groggy to sleep! 🙂
I am the same way. My most creative time is first thing in the morning.