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What are your thoughts on the creative powers of insomnia?

Do you do your best writing when you wake up or when you are going to sleep?

Do you keep a note pad by your bed?

And finally, know of any inspiring stories involving well known authors and this subject?

Insomnia is both a wonderful and wicked beast. I come up with some of my best ideas because I cannot sleep, but then it makes the next day difficult to get through. Lol. Yes I keep a notepad by my bed, and no I don't know any authors who have stories of insomnia.

I personally don't have any problems with insomnia. I'm quite the opposite, actually. I sleep too much. But then... I get some of my best ideas while I am asleep (with my super weird dreams), so that's nice. My writing time is in the middle of the day. Lunch time and early afternoon. It keeps me from falling asleep in that lazy part of the day.
But I live with someone who writes music, and he often wakes up in the middle of the night and and can't get back to sleep until he has written down what came to him suddenly.

I keep a note pad by my bed. Sometimes I wake up, sort of, and think, "I don't need to write this down; I'll remember it." But I usually don't.

I seldom have insomnia. But I have had some of my best ideas in dreams. I'm not the only one--I think the transformation sequence in Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde came from one of Robert Louis Stevenson's dreams.

Re: Writing > Sleeping?

Definitely when sleeping, ideas come flowing through my dreams. I get characters and titles from my dreams all the time. I journal every morning and night, but I keep a note book/journal by my bed or with all the time, as well as my drawing pad roll up with colored pencils too. I have forgotten too many things in the past!

I've heard a few stories from authors about isomnia and writing.

The one that really comes to mind is Stephen King.
He and his family were staying at an historic hotel or B&B (I can't remember which).
It still had the original fire hoses on each floor.
He saw them and he just kept imagine them coming to life.
(This is not verbatim.)
Anyway, he tried to fall asleep, but instead wound up outlining what would turn out to be The Shining.
If you want the actual story read his book On Writing. It's an inspiring read.

Graverobber wrote:I've heard a few stories from authors about isomnia and writing.

The one that really comes to mind is Stephen King.
He and his family were staying at an historic hotel or B&B (I can't remember which).
It still had the original fire hoses on each floor.
He saw them and he just kept imagine them coming to life.
(This is not verbatim.)
Anyway, he tried to fall asleep, but instead wound up outlining what would turn out to be The Shining.
If you want the actual story read his book On Writing. It's an inspiring read.

That's crazy! In an awesome way, of course! And a creepy awesome way as well.
This is not quite the same thing, but I have a big chest is my dining room, and I can see the shadow of it when I am lying in bed at night, and I always think it is a person standing in there. If I focus too hard on it before I sleep, it freaks me out. I could probably come up with some kind of horror story from that, right? No, don't wanna.

ALynnPowers wrote:

Graverobber wrote:I've heard a few stories from authors about isomnia and writing.

The one that really comes to mind is Stephen King.
He and his family were staying at an historic hotel or B&B (I can't remember which).
It still had the original fire hoses on each floor.
He saw them and he just kept imagine them coming to life.
(This is not verbatim.)
Anyway, he tried to fall asleep, but instead wound up outlining what would turn out to be The Shining.
If you want the actual story read his book On Writing. It's an inspiring read.

That's crazy! In an awesome way, of course! And a creepy awesome way as well.
This is not quite the same thing, but I have a big chest is my dining room, and I can see the shadow of it when I am lying in bed at night, and I always think it is a person standing in there. If I focus too hard on it before I sleep, it freaks me out. I could probably come up with some kind of horror story from that, right? No, don't wanna.

I've always had an over active imagination.
If I want to I can really freak myself out.
That's probably why nothing I read scares me.
It's a fun thing to have though.

I don't write until I'm ready to sleep, or I'd never manage to nod off at all. I need to read something completely different to my own work simply to take my mind off it. I've been an insomniac ever since my teens, so I'm not always 'wide-eyed and bushy-tailed' even in the morning - but at least it's better than trying to focus on my laptop through gaping yawns and watery eyes!

Tonight I don't feel like sleeping! I feel like writing! Or reading! Or posting lots and lots on this forum! So I am now reading old forums I haven't read in a while and writing about them. That's not insomnia is it? No! It's just all this tea I have been drinking for the past two hours!

Caffeine trumps all!

If I have an idea for a story, or even just a snippet of a line or something that needs to be changed in my current piece, you an bet I won't be sleeping until it's well written down. I don't always have something near me, so there's usually a scramble to find something. For everyone who writes at 2 am because things won't leave them alone, something I learned a while ago has really helped me with that. In the morning, eat an apple. It gets you awake and keeps you awake, whereas caffeine just gets you awake and then you feel tired later on.

Neat idea with the apple! I'll have my husband try it and report back -- he's not a morning person and I am.

I often come up with ideas for my writing as I'm falling asleep or right after I wake up, so I keep a notebook on my nightstand.