By Michelle Griep, @MichelleGriep
Some authors swear by writing before the sun is up. Others are nocturnal. And lots don’t have a choice, squeaking in words whenever a spare minute flares up. Which begs the question: is a certain time of day better than others to write?
Short answer:
Yep.
Long answer:
The best time to get your word count in is before decision fatigue sets in. Before you start mocking me, yes, this is a for-real thing. Decision fatigue is the state of being emotionally or intellectually exhausted from making too many decisions.
I’m not talking huge decisions like should you or should you not push the big, red nuke-the-world button. Stop and think about all the choices you make every day. What to wear. What to eat for breakfast. Which email to answer first—or which to delete. All these little decisions add up to suck the creative juice right out of you.
So the best time of day to write is during a period when you’ve recovered from decision fatigue. Usually this will be in the morning, before life drains the bejeebers out of you. But if that’s not possible, then shoot for a time immediately following when you’ve had an opportunity to relax and recharge.
The bottom line is there is no perfect time of day to write. Whatever works best for your schedule is what works best for you. The most important, of course, is simply to get words down while you still have the muse in you.
The House at the End of the Moor
What Can a London Opera Star and an Escaped Dartmoor Prisoner Have in Common?
Opera star Maggie Lee escapes her opulent lifestyle when threatened by a powerful politician who aims to ruin her life. She runs off to the wilds of the moors to live in anonymity. All that changes the day she discovers a half-dead man near her house. Escaped convict Oliver Ward is on the run to prove his innocence, until he gets hurt and is taken in by Maggie. He discovers some jewels in her possession—the very same jewels that got him convicted. Together they hatch a plan to return the jewels, clearing Oliver’s name and hopefully maintaining Maggie’s anonymity.
Michelle Griep’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. She is the author of historical romances: The Captured Bride, The Innkeeper’s Daughter, 12 Days at Bleakly Manor, The Captive Heart, Brentwood’s Ward, and A Heart Deceived, but also leaped the historical fence into the realm of contemporary with the zany romantic mystery Out of the Frying Pan. If you’d like to keep up with her escapades, find her at www.michellegriep.com or stalk her on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.