Hey fellow Screenwriters,
I am curious to know if there is an optimum time for your writing? Is there a certain 'time slot' during the day (or night) that works better for you? For instance, are you more productive at 03.00am? Are you more productive during the day itself? Or, perhaps you are a night 'writing' owl?
As I have to (currently) fit writing around my full-time job, I am somewhat limited in the sense that I wouldn't be able to write during the early hours and then be as productive in my job. I am tempted to try it however, so this may be an exercise for a weekend! There is something appealing about the sheer, quiet bliss of the early hours without distractions, and a few people I have met have told me that this is their effective writing routine.
Do you have any tips as to how I could possibly incorporate writing during this more peaceful time, but so that it doesn't detrimentally affect my full-time job?
Look forward to hearing from you,
Peggy x
I feel your pain, I'm writing around a full time job too.
My best writing is done on a morning, before work, and on weekends. I'll write whenever I get chance though. It's worth trying different approaches and finding what works for you, obviously.
If I write on an evening when I'm tired, I'll tend to focus more on re-writing/editing as I find it less taxing.
Also, I'll be plotting and generating ideas whilst at work.
Jury is out whether all of the above is working for me but, I'm getting pages done :-)
For me it's seasonal. Winter for me is a good time to become a hermit and write. Once the weather gets nice, I'll find any excuse to get outdoors. I can get some writing done in the morning and after work, if I'm not too burned out from staring at a computer screen all day, I'll try to find time to write.
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I'm most productive when I have the most energy which seems to be in the early hours before stuff starts. I like it because I feel good about my day after I get my pages done. I think Adam is right in that you should find out when you feel best. The advantage of the morning to me is that there are few distractions, my mind is fresh and it frees up any burden of willing myself to write after a long day's work/commute/errands, etc. Try it and let us know!
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I work full time and have a freelance writing business on the side. I write mainly on the weekends because I work 4 11hr shifts during the week. I sometimes write on my lunch hour at work, I always have my laptop with me. I don’t know of any magic time. I have deadlines so I have to make whatever time I have available work. In between all that, I write my own stuff. I do think I’m more productive earlier in the day, but I don’t always have that luxury.
Peggy, I don't really have a perfect time to write...but, what with my job as a machine operator in a plastics factory, I've been doing the bulk of my writing on weekends.
My factory job is a second-shift one, and if there's any time in the morning after reading emails, I hit that Power Mac of mine and type away.
All the very best to you, Peggy!
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I really have to hand it to all you creatives who have full-time jobs and other things that fill up your day, and who still devote yourselves to your writing. That's no easy task, and you all rock. Best wishes and best fortunes to you all.
A lot of studies over the years conclude that, for people with normal circadian and other rhythms, the best time to be creative is in the morning, and, that as the day goes on, the best time for being creative diminishes. That doesn't mean that you still can't write great scenes/great stories in the afternoon or at night - it just means that the overall ability for having the most brain activity going on is early in the day. People who don't have normal rhythms might operate in different ways. I personally write faster and more creatively in the day - my imagination seems to be more expansive, and at its best, and I work faster.
Here is a link to a great study on Creativity and the Brain. It's very long, and a bit scientific. The study and understanding of the human brain is still in its early stages. Best wishes and best fortunes again to you all!
https://www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/how-creativity-works-in-the-bra...