As of late, I have noticed how much insomnia can affect story telling. For several years, I spent most of my writing during the day. Often in the coffee houses, sitting on one of the lazy boy chairs, drinking coffee and listening as patrons discuss world problems or fond memories. There seemed to be moments when I would jot down ideas for stories or even slang that I happened to overhear others using. It defiantly seems the world a lot easier to discover inspiration during the day but what happens when you are lose your ability to function during the day?
As long as I can remember, I have always been a bit of an insomniac. As a child, I would stay up late listening to the late night talk shows before falling asleep sometime late at night. My parents would be frustrated with trying to get me to go to bed and eventually just let me stay awake as long as I was being quiet. I must admit this has carried through to my adult life. In fact, I am currently writing this piece at 2 in the morning. 0.0 If there is anything I have learned from not being able to sleep, is how much it has affected my writing ability.
I have long since learned to adapt to writing at night but must admit I do miss the inspiration from the daily life. It would seem there is a serenity with the darkness, silence and the overall feeling you alone are awake and sharing some kind of forbidden secret with those who are still awake at a taboo hour. My writing it would seem has also changed. My earlier work consisted of more fun and lively humor. It would focus on the hardships of being a teen or what if this happened. Now much of my writing seems to be focused on darker works but mixed with humor. It would seem insomnia has helped me focus on worlds where characters are trying to redeem themselves in some way..
When you feel out casted and at times alone, it seems to influence your writing. My worlds seemed to gain a darker feel and often the main character seemed to tap into my unconscious feelings. No longer having the influence of the bustling day, there came a theme of character learning to survive on their own. The main character a lot of times have a hard time relating to groups they come along because they are used to be solitary beings roaming the world at night to avoid adversaries. Not that the world seems to be a darker place when you stay awake all night but rather people tend not to understand how you can’t just go to bed or how you can possible stay up all night like that. The friends you have that are much like yourselves becomes your confidants and inspiration to continue in your fields.
It would seem while still managing to function during the day on hardly any sleep and feeling wide awake in the late evening hours causes your writing to reflect on a deeper level. I think sometimes it helps your perception of the world when you take a step back and give it another look from some other point. You never know what creative inspiration might occur. Insomnia may be hard to live with but given the right perceptive it can be a great learning tool.
