“You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write.”-Saul Bellow
A Small Press Life: Books. Art. Writing. Life. Tea.
Not just a blog, a philosophy
“You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write.”-Saul Bellow
A Small Press Life: Books. Art. Writing. Life. Tea. 
Almost true.
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I agree. Although I may not keep everything I write in the middle of the night, the ideas themselves are usually solid.
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I mainly write in the middle of the night and transcribe in the morning. Last night I got to be at 4.30 am. It’s the period I feel free and alone and the chaos can settle into form.
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I’m a night person but do my best writing in the afternoon to late evening. The only time I cannot write at all is early in the morning. I’ve tried changing that but I am too foggy for the first few hours after waking up to be very creative. I can edit and work on publications in the morning, but not write.
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Ha ha! LOVE this one!
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Me, too. Ha!
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Really, I feel this is where I develop some of my best stuff – whether it’s writing or some other problem-solving. Don’t you find there’s something about that sit-straight-up-from-a-dead-sleep-Eureka feeling at 2:30 am?
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Yes, absolutely yes! I’ve never regretted being jolted awake with writing inspiration. I always walk away with something fresh: a story idea, a sentence/sentence fragment, character development. The only experience that rivals it, for me, is taking a shower. I’ve found that 20 steamy minutes under a vigorous spray of water entirely clears my mind when I have an excellent concept but difficulty working through the labyrinth. I’ve also been known to think of story or essay ideas while in there, as well as entire paragraphs. Sometimes I step out of the shower having completed 50% of a previously un-thought of project!
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Right! That is another good source of inspiration.
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It’s funny, but the shower has always been a wonderful source of inspiration for me. The bath (and I love a good bath) has always been where I retreat in sorrow. When someone is terribly ill or dies, I take a bath. If I’m ill or depressed, I take a bath. I’ve done this for as far back as I can remember. I trace that to my grandmother’s and great-grandmother’s insistence that “hot soapy water” (in the form of doing dishes by hand) cures ANYTHING that ails you, mentally or physically!
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I think there’s a lot of wisdom in that. I find washing dishes by hand very meditative and relaxing. I agree – a bath is a wonderful cure-all!
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It is truly wise. So simple, yet comforting and profound. It’s a running joke in my family but, deep down, we all subscribe to its efficacy.
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