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For some reason, I can only seem to get in the "zone" at night time. Like 9:30pm and past that. Whenever I try to write during the day, I can't get myself to write something that's actually good, or even be able to stay focused.

Since I only write at night, I'm also often fighting to stay awake, and I make many grammatical mistakes that I have to fix in the morning. But there's also a plus for writing at night, my ADHD meds are more worn off, and I can imagine better ideas.

So, is it a bad habit? Should I try to somehow quit doing it? Importantly, how might this affect my writing?

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  • I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because while writing at night is obviously not a bad writing habit, the question of whether it is a bad personal habit is off topic here. – user16226 Dec 27 '16 at 3:32
  • Ok, this is still my third day on this website, haven't learned every rule. You can close it, I don't understand how that works, but go ahead – AmazingMc Dec 27 '16 at 4:29
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    This question is subjective and kind of discussion-y but whether it should be closed is a matter of opinion. I see this as a time management question, something that's IMO op-topic here. – Goodbye Stack Exchange Dec 27 '16 at 5:19
  • When I read the question, I thought it would better fit on productivity.stackexchange.com (self-help isn't allowed on Cognitive Sciences). But I would either migrate or leave open, not close, so I'm not voting to close. – user5645 Dec 27 '16 at 8:27
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    @AmazingMc You don't need to do anything. Either someone will migrate the question elsewhere, or enough people will vote to close it, or it will remain as it is. – user5645 Dec 27 '16 at 15:41
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You found a time when you can write. Why on earth would you want to break that habit?

Fix your grammatical errors in the morning. Get your ideas on paper when the Muse wants you.

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    Thx, I just started to wonder because of everyone I talk to saying things like "Why on Earth are you up at 2am?!" And always having to say "I was in the zone... Writing...". That was starting to get on my nerves. – AmazingMc Dec 27 '16 at 2:43
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    @what The OP could rearrange his/her schedule so that s/he isn't tired at night. Or some people's internal circadian rhythms are such that their most productive time is at night. Imposing your preferred social clock on other people when their work doesn't affect you is pointless and counterproductive. "Rearrange your life to be not exhausted during productive hours" is good advice. "Go to sleep when I tell you because that's when everybody else is sleeping and you should be too " is not. – Lauren-Clear-Monica-Ipsum Dec 27 '16 at 13:09
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    Upvoting to offset what's downvote. I think the question is off topic, but the objection is doubly off topic. If you are not willing to ruin your heath for art, you lack the requisite romantic soul. And also, this: slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/features/2013/daily_rituals/… – user16226 Dec 27 '16 at 14:03
  • @what You are correct that I did not add a lot of hedging to indicate "make sure you're getting enough sleep, sunlight, and socialization at other parts of the day," because the OP didn't ask "Should I sacrifice everything to write?" The OP said "I write best at night; should I force myself to write at other times of the day?" and my answer to that question is No. I'm not sure why you removed information from your answer, because I thought it was salient to suggest that the OP see his/her doctor to address medications. – Lauren-Clear-Monica-Ipsum Dec 27 '16 at 15:46
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    @what but would Kafka have traded art for health? The drive to produce, to prove oneself, to drive the damons from one's soul, often override the desire for health or happiness. Is writing at night a good health habit? No. Is writing at night a good art habit? Maybe. Some flowers only bloom in darkness. If you are not there to gather them when they bloom, you may be healthier, but you may never make art. It is vain to suggest the imagination or inspiration can be placed on a schedule. – user16226 Dec 27 '16 at 16:17
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If writing is all you want to do with your life, then what you do is fine.

If, on the other hand, you need to study, go to school, or perform a job, then your night time writing may cause you to be tired or otherwise dysfunctional in relation to your duties.

It may also be detrimental to your social life.

If you are awake during the night, you will need to sleep during the day. That is not healthy. You miss a lot of sun light (which your body needs to create certain chemicals), and you disrupt your body's normal diurnal cycle. The body heals and grows during night sleep. To name just one example, working at night increases your ADHD symptoms.

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  • Trust me, sleep is the least of my problems that mess up my body. And I would be up all night whether I write or not, still up. I ruined my internal clock long before I started writing, and even if I don't sleep, I don't get tired. I just never get tired, all day, all night, perfectly fine. – AmazingMc Dec 27 '16 at 3:00
  • But how would you break the habit of staying up? If you're not tired, how do you try to sleep? It's 10pm right now and I could go run a mile, how do you try to sleep? – AmazingMc Dec 27 '16 at 3:13

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