Last night I got completely absorbed in a story I'm ghost writing. After I posted my Just Write pages, I thought I'd just work another hour on my ghostie before hitting the sack myself. The next time I looked at the clock it was 6:21 a.m. and I had written five thousand new words. At my age staying up for forty-eight hours straight isn't an option anymore, so I went to bed and woke up five hours later. A cup of tea later I went straight back to the story. I finally wrote the muse into a snooze about ten minutes ago, which is when I realized I hadn't scheduled anything to post in my absence this morning. Sorry, everyone.
I'm tired, but also elated. I haven't pulled an all-nighter in a while, and I'll definitely pay for it with my sleep schedule being completely flipped now, but it was worth it. I really don't do this that often, but when I do I treasure it. This week if I feel hesitant about the work, or start second-guessing myself, I'll remember last night, when everything just poured out of me like a waterfall. It helps me trust myself to recall that I can put words on the page without my doubts or worries getting between them, and work way past my bedtime without even be aware of it.
Now if only I could stay in the zone for another week . . . no, honestly, I'd collapse. That's the other side of this. As we age our bodies won't tolerate what they did when we were youngsters. So I will be a good girl and get my sleep schedule back on track, and smile every once in a while when I think about last night.
Can I get the location of that waterfall?
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if I had missed you today. :) But you had a most excellent reason!
ReplyDeleteEvery once in a blue moon I pull an all-nighter. I love that feeling of accomplishment, but like you my sleep pattern gets warped and I have to put myself back on schedule or risk facing several sleepless nights in a row.