Tuesday, June 7, 2011

When to Write - Morning or Night?

Writing is an activity that is peculiarly dependent on whether you are a morning or a night person, on whether you are a lark or a nightingale. There are people who feel more mentally active in the early hours of the morning. Their thoughts flow more freely and they
are more focused. They are able to pin down a line of thought and dissect it thoroughly. As writers, their ability to express in words the images and feelings they identify with are greatly enhanced.

When the same people try to do the same activities at night, however, they find they cannot think with the same level of mental acuity. Their thoughts become entangled with the events of the day and, since these are more recent and affect them more, they tend to return to them over and over. If they force themselves to write, they find that their production lacks the vigor and clarity of their morning work.

One of the first things you should do if you find yourself in this situation is not to fight your inner nature. If you feel you work better in the morning then you should plan your activities so that your creative work gets done in the morning. The evenings could be dedicated to activities such as research or planning your writing.

Next, you should do a complete outline of the article. If your article follows the standard formula of an introduction, three relevant points, and a conclusion, you should concentrate
your attention on the three points. Depending on the focus of your article, you now need to
find the finer points from your research that can enhance your arguments.

Before going to sleep, you should do a quick mental recap of the main points of your article. Tell yourself that in the morning you are going to write the article and form a mental image of the finished work.

While you sleep, your subconscious will work on the data you have gathered, rearranging the facts so that they strengthen the focus of your article. You will often find that the outline you did the night before does not closely match the article that you have just written. You have probably downplayed some points while emphasizing others.

Your subconscious mind can help you write better articles and, if you write when you are
most productive, you will be a much better writer.