Jody Bernstein writes…
Love the blog but I'm curious about the time stamps and the life of a writer. I often see you post messages that say 4:30 in the morning on them. Are those sent by a timer or does it mean you were really up and blogging at that hour? How many hours a night do you sleep? Do you really write all night? How can you do that?
Sometimes, I really write all night. I get a lot of calls during the day and while my brain can sometimes shift and back and forth, it isn't always possible to keep jumping from script to phone call then back to script then to another phone call and so on. Nighttime, I can write for long stretches without having my attention jerked away from a story every ten minutes.
Years ago, I slept eight hours a night. Then I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea and I started sleeping with a CPAP unit. I began sleeping six hours a night and getting up more refreshed than when I'd slept eight without the machine. Since I lost all that weight a few years ago, I'm usually fine with five and I sometimes get by with four…though when I go a couple of nights on four hours sleep, I pay for it one way or another. In any case, I'm up and at the computer when the time stamp on a message says I'm here…
…and usually not unhappy to be here. I love writing. Always have. I don't like every assignment but in the main, this is something I enjoy very much and that's the answer to your "How can you do that?" question. I got into a line of work I liked doing…which of course makes it never feel like work. If I drove a cab, that would be work and then I'd go home and write all night for pleasure. I don't make any real money writing this blog but you can see how much writing I do for it.
The number one piece of advice I give to aspiring writers or anyone considering the profession is to either enjoy doing it or go find something else to do that you do enjoy. When I'm with another writer and he or she starts bemoaning the hours and effort they have to put in…well, I guess it's justified if you were trapped into working for rotten money on something. Or on something you really, really don't want to write. Both have happened to me on occasion. But I always remind them that at its worst, it's still not a bad way to live…at least for those of us who never thought of doing anything else.