Sleep or Work?

I remember reading years ago that Jerzy Kosinski had an unusual writing routine. During every twenty four hour period, he would sleep twice for four hours.  This allowed him to work during the quietest times of the night and early morning, and yet he could get the sleep he needed to remain fresh and energetic throughout the day.  

Kosinski had the advantage of being a full-time writer so he could stick to that self-created schedule.  I did something similar in my twenties, when I had a six am to 11 a.m job, and no family.  I would leave work, take a walk outside, and get home by about 1 in the afternoon.  I'd sleep for a few hours, have something to eat, and write from 7 p.m. till around 11:30.  Then I'd go back to sleep from midnight till four o'clock in the morning, before rising for work.  It was a productive time.

Nothing like that is possible now.  During the school year, I wake up at 6:45 or so (in the summer I can sleep an extra hour), and for all twelve months, I'm not back home, on a typical night, till at least 6:30 in the evening.  Sometimes I do write in my office immediately after work, which will put me home around 8:00.  There's dinner and chatting with my wife and son, and so most of the time, I'll get back to the laptop for the night's writing stint around 11 p.m.  It's pretty late.  And yet, squeezed in there, before I write, for 45 minutes to an hour, there is the precious nap.  My version of the Kosinski sleep, however much it's shorter than his.  

I don't go to a dark room and lie down. Usually by 10 at night I'm so tired I can stretch out on my couch with the TV on, my wife in the room, and doze off. It's become such a habit that I usually wake without prompting in the hour or less I mentioned. Sometimes, if I don't trust myself to wake in an hour, I'll set my alarm to do it for me.  Either way, when I do reopen my eyes, I encounter what becomes the most difficult part of the day.  It's that moment, when you're relaxed, when you've been sleeping, when you really would like to simply go back to sleep, that you may wonder, "What the hell am I doing?".  Your eyelids feel heavy, your body leaden, and the effort required to rise up from the couch to write seems too much.  "You can always pick up tomorrow," I say to myself.  "But what if tomorrow I tell myself I can always pick up tomorrow?"  It is, no question, a slippery slope.  Give in one day and how many more days will you give in?  I'm not saying I never give in; sometimes the body refuses to obey the mind's commands and you have to surrender to sleep.  But more nights than not, I do manage to drag myself to my feet and up the stairs to the second floor of our house, and in the kitchen I set about preparing my late night cup of espresso. 

The ritual kicks in.  I open my laptop, sit down, inhale the aroma of the brewing coffee.  One small cup (it is late, after all) and no sugar.  And it may take a few minutes, but soon enough, I'm back into whatever I've been writing. My mind is awake, helped by the caffeine.  I feel refreshed and I'm determined to use the hour and a half to two hours I have to get some words down.  No time to waste, no time to procrastinate, but the funny thing is that with writing time so limited, I find I don't need much time anymore to get myself going and pick up where I left off.  Out of necessity, I get in the writing mood fast.

Then it's time to stop, so I can get some extended shut-eye, and I know that after I return from my job the next day, I'll repeat the process all over again.  I'll have to face that moment after the nap, the moment when I have to make a choice, need to push myself. 

"Sleep more or get up.  Rest or work."  

I'm getting older, and it's not easy, but as I said, the push to work, so far, usually wins.

Monday Question: Do you have a bucket-list for writing?

Bucket lists. We've heard of them. Some of us have one, but do you have a bucket list for your writing?

To have Joe Lansdale read one of my books would be the top item on my list. I'd read Joe's grocery list with breathless anticipation.

Laura Dern, or Lula as Gabino Iglesias corrected, showing interest in a character. Steph Post and I agreed we would pay to watch her eat a sandwich. Hotter that Georgia asphalt.

Writing a television series. Having stories inspire music. Lots of drinking. Here are a few of the interesting and somewhat familiar answers from our favorite writers.

🖤🖤🖤

JJ Hensley
Amazon Author Page

"I'd like for a critic to compare me to Raymond Chandler. Except I don't write like him. Or look like him. And I'm not dead. Actually I'm cool with two of those things.

And, a Thriller Award or an Edgar. I'd be completely modest about the award and would have it tastefully put on a chain and I'd wear it around my neck like Flavor Flav with clocks.

I'd love to walk into a Starbucks, Panera, or airport terminal and see some random person reading one of my books. I'd probably approach the person and ask what they think of the book. Then I'd head to a bar if they told me it sucks."

And if they liked the book?

"I'll buy them a drink. Scotch. Maybe beer. Probably Sam Adams."

-JJ Hensley

🖤🖤🖤

Gabino Iglesias
Amazon Author Page
"I want to create stories that resonate with folks and that can be easily identified as being mine. I'm a guitar freak and can recognize some tones immediately. I want that; my own, unique tone.

I want blurbs from folks like Joe Lansdale, Don Winslow, and Nnedi Okorafor. To have literary giants recognize you as someone worth praising is great. Getting blurbs from Jeremy Robert Johnson, Paul Tremblay, David Joy, and Jerry Stahl still helps me push forward on rough days.

I want translations. German. French. Spanish again. All of them! I'd love a limited edition hardcover from a press like Thunderstorm Books. That glorious paper and art...

I want to reach a point in my career where I can have a say in all my covers. They will all be Matthew Revert covers.

I wanna make enough money to cover rent. No trips to Venice or expensive clothes or fancy wine, just rent.

One day I wanna start a project like HAAM (Health Alliance for Austin Musicians) but for us broke-ass, uninsured writers. Copping antibiotics from a dealer makes for a funny story, but fuck being uninsured and getting sick. Writers have 0 benefits unless they have a solid day gig. I wanna change that.

I wanna meet all my Facebook friends from horror, crime, and bizarre communities and buy them beers and tacos."
- Gabino Iglesias

🖤🖤🖤

Tom Leins
Amazon Author Page
"If you had asked me this question twelve months ago, the idea of getting a book published would have trumped all else. Now, 15 years after my first published story, with two book releases on the way - Meat Bubbles & Other Stories (2nd June, Near To The Knuckle) and Repetition Kills You (21st September, All Due Respect) - that dream is close becoming a reality! I can't wait to see my books filed between Lehane and Leonard on bookshelves - who doesn't love alphabetical filing systems, right?

Regardless of what I go on to achieve - or not achieve - with my Paignton Noir books, I also hope that I can inspire someone else in this town to pick up a laptop, or put pen to paper, and share their own fiction with the world. Growing up in Paignton, it felt like a cultural vacuum, and there were precious few shining examples of people trying to forge a creative path. My style of fiction is pretty abrasive, and I don't expect mainstream success anytime soon, but I hope that I have done enough to convince other small town writers to pursue their own lunatic visions!"
- Tom Leins

🖤🖤🖤

Michael Pool
Amazon Author Page
"The top item on my writerly bucket list would be to see on of my books or series of books be made into a television show (Though I'd obviously manage to live it were a movie instead). I just feel like television's season-based format is idea for bringing novelistic storytelling to the screen, because the longer structure lend itself well to larger overall character arcs. It would also be an interesting experience to watch professional actors and directors bring your characters and scenes to life. So, yeah, that's my top writerly bucket list item, a television series!"

- Michael Pool

🖤🖤🖤

Steph Post
Amazon Author Page
"I would LOVE to work with composer Trevor Morris (Dragon Age Inquisition and also shows like The Tudors and Vikings. I've been stalking him for a while, but no luck yet...) Also Kerry Muzzey and Ramin Djawadi (Game of Thrones and West World). I love soundtracks and usually plan certain scenes to go with different tracks, even though the original material may have nothing to do with what I'm writing.

I'd actually love to be with FX, if my work ever gets picked up. I'm the biggest fan of Justified and The Americans. I think FX has been putting out some great shows lately, and, you know, with The Americans ending this year they've got a nice window open for a new show... Of course, I wouldn't say no to HBO, that's for sure.

I tend to 'cast' books as I write them, so I've got a list of actors I would love to work. Rufus Sewell and Walton Goggins are the first to spring to mind. Viggo Mortensen. Gustaf Skarsgard. Eddie Redmayne, though I've yet to write something that I think he would have a role in."
-Steph Post

🖤🖤🖤

Of Spring and Hope and Blooming Eternal

By Claire Booth
I thought today would be an appropriate day to take a breath, and think not of crime, but of peace. My garden right now is brimming with it – color and light and life. All things that for me bring calm and reflection. I hope there’s something that does the same for you. And if you celebrate today’s holiday, the happiest of Easters to you.