Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

Thinking, writing, business ideas … You’re only a stranger once.

October 8, 2008

Reasons to Write at Night and When the Sun Is Rising

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 9:47 pm

vibrant_sky


At night everything slows down and the world is quieter, most of the animals are sleeping, some of the flowers even close — that has to mean something.

Doesn’t it?

At night, I think deeper, fuller, broader, as if I might be out there in the indigo with the stars. It’s easy to picture that. It’s hard to think of being in the open, blue daylight sky.

A wise man I know said to me that he thinks kids grow up slower where there is winter, because they need to come home to be inside and need to wear clothes to stay warm.

I think night is like that. I makes us slow down. In the dark, we walk slower. We come inside to find enough light to read by. We hear the quiet of our own thoughts.

Those are reasons I write at night and in the very early morning when the sun is rising. I can even hear the clicking of the keys as type my thoughts on my keyboard, and the sounds seems to match the beating of my heart. That has to mean something.

Doesn’t it?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Image source: sxc.hu
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38 Comments to “Reasons to Write at Night and When the Sun Is Rising”

  1. October 8th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
    Kelly said

    Deeper, fuller, broader… I get that Liz.

    My schedule has been so upside down most of the last year - I often forget whether it is day or night.

    I do find writing a night to go smoother - few interruptions. I get more done :)

  2. October 8th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
    Amy Derby said

    I blog at 2:30 am often. It shows, but I don’t care. :-)

    Very beautiful, Liz.

  3. October 8th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Yeah, Kelly,
    Deeper, fuller, broader, it just feels good to think those three words together. I hear the rhythm of what you’re saying.

  4. October 8th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Aw Amy,
    I think you’re beautiful just the way you are. :)

  5. October 8th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
    Soultravelers3 said

    YES! Again, I can so relate to this because that is when I wan to write too! It also helps that my husband and child are asleep then, so I have this quiet, thoughtful “me” time.

    Everyone thinks I am an extrovert, but I am really a very outgoing introvert. I need that still time just for me, to replenish my soul and writing and thinking in the wee hours does that.

    Love the photo too! Thanks!

  6. October 8th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
    Shonali Burke, ABC said

    Very well put, Liz - I love the quiet of the night and early morning too. Since I can’t always go into my special space at those times, that essence is what I try to re-capture during “normal” hours. Perhaps we’re all nocturnal at the core of our beings!

  7. October 8th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
    Sara said

    Night is when I write. It’s when my head is clear and I can focus because everything is quiet and there aren’t any distractions. Writing during the day would be a painful experience. Way too much going on. So I definitely agree with what you said about the quiet of your own thoughts.

    I edit everything in the morning though. Fresh start with fresh eyes.

    I used to write when I felt compelled to. Now I’m disciplined (to meet deadline) and my largest chunk of available time is at night. I tried that bits and pieces- start and stop writing and it’s not for me.

    Some weeks I have one left the day of my deadline. I thrive on the adrenaline rush. Love love love the sense of accomplishment afterward when I cut it close. Such a geeky adventure. LOL Some weeks I almost panic.

    Wednesday afternoons I am completely empty. Total blank slate. Not a single thought about my column. I’m completely separated from it. Well, except for right here and now. LOL A rare exception. ;)

    In an ideal world, I could pick and choose when I wanted to write. But there is something rewarding knowing I somehow get it done. I still don’t know how. Oh yeah, I think I used to sleep. LOL

  8. October 9th, 2008 at 12:00 am
    Kara said

    Beautifully written…I should print this and tuck it away to reread every time I feel like a nonproductive citizen when I’m up until 2am (on a good night!). I truly get so much done and feel so much more creative but I think it’s the fact that it seems so backwards to most working people that if you sleep past 9 you feel-ok I feel-like a slug (despite the fact I might have been up until 4 the night before).

    Long story short-I love this post:-)

  9. October 9th, 2008 at 12:26 am
    Acorn said

    I wake up in the evening and sleep in the morning. So I write almost all of the stuff during night :)

  10. October 9th, 2008 at 6:45 am
    Amanda said

    Liz, it’s true.. today I woke soon after 3am.. and got up to write… “In the still, dark night of the soul, it is always three o’clock in the morning.” (I don’t recall who said that - will have to look it up! Some of my best thinking, listening to the heart and writing’s done in the quiet early hours… Thoughts are moving more slowly and are easier to see and hear… thanks for sharing.

  11. October 9th, 2008 at 7:05 am
    Barbara Ling said

    I always think of it as simply being in tune with oneself. When you’re alone with your thoughts and give yourself permission to cast your mind out to the universe (ie, writing without fear of ‘what will people say?’)…you often end up writing insightful posts that would never have been created in the bright morning daylight.

    Data points, Barbara

  12. October 9th, 2008 at 7:14 am
    Carol Dickson-Carr said

    I really resonate with your post, Liz, for all reasons you and the others wrote. Like Sara, the fresh eyes in the morning after a creative flow at night (and sometimes into the wee hour) is a good combination for me. :)

    Carol

  13. October 9th, 2008 at 7:17 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Soultraveler3,
    I think of it as time and space to expand into my thoughts, like a nice oxygen-filled stretch. It is a refueling time for me too.

    Like you, I go inside so that I can go outside again.

  14. October 9th, 2008 at 7:19 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Sonali,
    Maybe we are all nocturnal, or maybe we all have some sort of respect for the universe when it quiets us. The reflection that gets us to that essence you mention is so important to keeping balanced during the day.

  15. October 9th, 2008 at 7:22 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Sara,
    Separating the writing from the editing that way is so intelligent. Expression and structure are two different parts of the brain and they really seem to fit those two different times of the day. I often “finish” larger pieces at night and then “refinish” them in the morning. :)

    I used to live on that “rush” too. Now I like being ahead of the game. It’s fun exploring this different pace. :)

  16. October 9th, 2008 at 7:24 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Kara,
    Isn’t interesting how many “rules” we impose on ourselves? I have to remind myself sometimes that if I’m old enough to choose whether to eat ice cream for breakfast, I can probably choose the rest with a good result. :)

  17. October 9th, 2008 at 7:24 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Acorn,
    Then you know. :)

  18. October 9th, 2008 at 7:26 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Yeah, Barbara,
    That’s the most important and really, that’s the message in the spaces between my words. Thanks for bringing that out. We have to write when we write the best . . . it’s a personal thing. :)

  19. October 9th, 2008 at 7:30 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    #10 Hi Amanda,
    What a beautiful quote. Yeah, I know, I know. I’ve been there, as you obviously have been too.

  20. October 9th, 2008 at 7:32 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Carol,
    The combination is really the best use of how our brains work. The distance and the daylight lets us see the words in a new way. It’s so much more efficient to do it that way. Just as you said.

  21. October 9th, 2008 at 7:48 am
    Alyson, the 3 P's Mama said

    Liz…what a beautiful combination - the photo and your prose! Well done! And yes, the quiet and tranquility seem to bring out the best in most of us.

    Oh, fyi, my blog troubles seem all repaired since I stripped both blogs and reloaded. Thanks again for your help!

  22. October 9th, 2008 at 7:51 am
    Mother Earth said

    writing “means” something and those of us that write offer something very important to the world

    pausing to notice how the writing shifts at different times of the day is wonderful. I’m a night owl, but produce more crisply in the morning. I will actually get up earlier to write - who woulda thunk ?

  23. October 9th, 2008 at 8:49 am
    Christie said

    I accomplish the most at night-I think it’s because the day’s thoughts have percolated and the world has shut down.

    It’s when I’ve written my best material!

  24. October 9th, 2008 at 9:37 am
    Jannie said

    I do some of my best writing when nary a mouse is a-stir in the house.

    And boy do I write good stuff when I’m asleep. Would be nice to rmeember it, tho.

  25. October 9th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
    Amanda said

    Hi again, Liz, and thank you for your personal replies…unusual, appreciated, enlightening..

    The quote really reads “in a real dark night of the soul, it is always three o’clock in the morning” and is from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s essay in Esquire Mag 1936, titled ‘The Crack-Up’. A far cry from ‘The Great Gatsby’ and more about emotional bankruptcy than a blissful writing window in a peaceful night! … lol … Still, there is something about it that’s captivating..

    “Deeper, fuller, broader … out there with the indigo in the stars” … a greater sense of all we are, really and potentially, we are enlivened by these times I love to call ‘Big Sky Moments’ like the dawn happening here right now… your post is a beautiful reminder. Thank you.

  26. October 10th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
    Maria Palma said

    Yes, the energy is so much different at night and in the early morning. Most of my writing is done late night when I can actually hear myself think ;)

    I did experiment with going to bed early and waking up early, but I’ve found that my writing rhythm is much better late at night.

    Thank You :)

  27. October 11th, 2008 at 7:10 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Alyson,
    That photo inspires me in the same way night does. That’s for noticing it.

    I’m so glad to hear you found the gremlins inside your template so you can enjoy the writing part.

    Welcome!

  28. October 11th, 2008 at 7:13 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hey Mother Earth,
    I love seeing how you give yourself over to your life. It’s beautiful you know. :)

  29. October 11th, 2008 at 7:15 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Christie,
    I think a lot about the night. I believe we’re more perceptive because we can’t see in the dark. I write differently then as well. :)

  30. October 11th, 2008 at 7:16 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Yeah Jannie!
    I write some wonderful works when I’m sleeping too. Must be some sort of product idea in that . . . just wouldn’t want to spoil it, would you?

  31. October 11th, 2008 at 7:32 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Amanda,
    F. Scott Fitzgerald — should have known . . . Big sky moments, yeah, that’s what they are — big soul moments too. :)

  32. October 12th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
    Shawna R. B. Atteberry said

    I wrote most of master’s thesis between 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. I still do some of my best writing in the wee hours.

  33. October 13th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
    Jeff said

    While fully 14 hours of my day feel like a blur of busyness and taking care of the needs of others (even in my writing), those wee hours are times of perfect focus. When I’m fully aware of what’s important in writing and life! Writing as a form of meditation? It keeps ME sane.

  34. October 13th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Shawna!
    I know. Sometimes I wish I could stretch that time even longer. I like the sounds of the quiet. :)

  35. October 13th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Jeff,
    Recharging the batteries. . . . yeah I get that. :)

  36. October 24th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
    Moving Forward and Standing Still . . . - Liz Strauss at Successful Blog - Thinking, writing, business ideas . . . You’re only a stranger once. said

    [...] Reasons to Write at Night and When the Sun Is Rising [...]

  37. March 1st, 2009 at 2:14 pm
    Turning a lifelong fear into strength | Dancing Geek said

    [...] I had my eyes closed, and the dark (plus it’s like 2am or something because that’s when I do my stuff) triggers my wolf fear again. Oh hello wolf fear, I know you sooooo [...]

  38. August 30th, 2009 at 11:35 pm
    Stephanie M. Cockerl said

    I find that my energy level at night is best for writing. I just finished a bunch of catch up writing I had been falling back on. If I’m not near a computer, I try to have a notepad and a pen near me for ideas.

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