Hey everybody!
Have you ever been up late into the night, reading, writing, editing? Stuck at the hospital with time on your hands- God forbid- or just stuck up late- and you want to leave a post that hopefully another person who is also stuck up late at night can see and answer? Or maybe your're like me and you wake up like I did today at 1am and you want to post on a thread where other night owls are present?
The point is- you don't have to have anything zany or clever to say, or be super experienced, or even be gramatically correct. As my writing here probably points out. If you are awake and don't want to be because of life's little bs tricks, then this is your Zombie Thread.
The only rule is peace. No arguement. No debate. If we could be positive, supportive, and offer encouragement to each other, then I have accomplished my goal.
Point 1: If you are writing, and you are stuck, ask a question, see who answers. It may not be the same night, but if you're up that night, chances are you will be another, and your answer may be there.
Point 2: Post anything you might think of interest. I don't care if it's a movie line, a book opening hook, a poem, a paragraph or two. Anything cool, upbuilding, funny, unusual, spooky, current, anything! Just not too huge, and nothing negative please! Too huge would be a chapter from you novel. You get the idea.
That's pretty much it. I don't think we should worry too much about errors, since we're all sleep deprived anyway.
Oh! This is open to the whole LR community. You don't have to be half asleep to post.
Happy Zombie Posting!
Awww, c'mon guys. I know I'm not the only one here with insomnia!
I personally don't trust anybody who is awake during the day.
Now there is a true night owl. Lol.
Wow, I really thought there were more writers who can't sleep:/
I'm up, but now is the time in which to drink vodka so I can sleep.
Hi Brandon! Thanks for saying hi!
I work a night shift, so I am awake - always, forever.
Ugh, I feel you. Been there done that. I think it's unnatural to make people work those hours!
I took a nap, so I might be up later than usual.
Sweet.
Later.
That's me in a nutshell, especially with my early stories. My early stories were basically similar to keeping a dream journal of nightmares I've had.
I still stay up to like 2:30 A.M. But nowhere near the 5:30 A.M. run for some short stories back in my early work.
This might be handy if I'm doing nano and up late.^^
I hope so! I think sleep deprived writers need support sometimes. And a relaxed atmosphere to talk about stuff. Hell, all writers need that...
So, am I allowed to post here during the day time?
Of course. Anytime. This is open to everyone. Maybe the people who can sleep might have some good tips for all of us zombies. Sleep, writing, sleepwriting, whatever you want to write about. How could I stop you if you really wanted to anyway? Of course you are welcome!
I feel less like a zombie, and more of a defanged vampire with a preference for sour grapes at times.
It's 20:30 EST. Do you know where your PJs are?
That's my writing uniform.
Anybody up tonight?
As of two minutes from now, no.
Hi, I'm Dave, and I'm an insomniac
Hi Dave!
Up at the wee hrs again. Lovely.
Good times.
Hmm. Stay relevant--I don't work at night, so I can't say anything about night shift. I am not an insomanic; I sleep quite a lot during the day. I don't feel like a zombie, because I love being up at night. Oh shoot! I can't say that. The title does say zombie posting---
*mouth springs open; waiter finger ascends*
Uhh
*slumps back into the thinking man pose*
Oh, oh, oh. I've got it!
Goood evening.
You can say whatever you want, that's the beauty of being a zombie:)
Clever though.
Looks like I'll be up late outlining again. But that means no time for nano this year.:/
Nooo! L.W. Flousia, say it ain't so. You can do it. You have over a week to plan!
I should be doing productive things right now, but instead I just discovered Mr. Robot so fuck it.
I was up at 1 today, but i was to tired to remember I was a zombie. I have no idea what my novel is gonna be, I have 3 projects I'm trying to at least get somewhat straightened out before the first. but I feel like my writing kick has already started because I've been putting out over 3k words a day, since I never sleep. What should my novel be?
@dollface993: Go for the one you're working on now, and if you finish that before nano ends, pick from your pile of projects and start the next one.
Well I'm going by the thought that if I skipped this year my outline could be double the size. (I had only did a plot structure for sixteen chapter instead of thirty two chapters.)
Starting to lose confidence in the novel form, or at least the novel in the traditional sense. (A book that is at least 50,000 words that's either read in a single sitting or part of a series.)
I've started preferring the endless episodic model. And then seeing where I end up.
The one where each episode (1,000 words) is semi-self contained, but builds toward the larger picture of a MC's life.
Can't sleep. Guess I ... shouldn't have done all the same things I do every other day.
?
@Elizabeth85- Thank you, that is a great idea. I didn't know we could do something like that. I thought it had to be a new project. But really a new project is the last thing I need. I would still start one if I had to though.
@jyh- Yeah, I know man, isn't it great? There is never any warning when insomnia will strike.
It's a downer when it happens, but I don't get it chronically; maybe one or two nights per month, if I've been keeping a fairly routine schedule. (Or is that often enough to be "chronic"? If so, I'd still say it's fairly mild compared to some others I've read or heard about.)
It is compared to me, but missing any sleep is chronic in my opinion.
I've gotten 2 hrs or less 5 times this week:/
You must take naps. How are you still alive?
Or are you a ghost?
I don't take naps. And I assure you I am no ghost. Lol.
Woke up at two am today! Yay, extra time to get ready for nano. Not really that stoked, but I'm trying to be positive.
@dollface993--Lol. That's the spirit.
I think I am ready for nano. All I have to do now is write.
How are you going to make it through to the end? I plan on sprinting my way to 50,000 words.
I'm just going to try to write as much as I can everyday. A friend of mine and I have been trying to work our way up to 2,000 words a day. That way it's not such a shock on sunday. But I'll still be in shock i'm sure.
Is it strange that I'm more productive when I'm in a paradox mood?: I can't write if I'm stressed, but am more productive if I'm depressed.
I need to be in a Moonlight Sonata kind of mood, not The Kids Are Alright mood. Both depressing, but one is more chaotic and listened to best when not writing.:P
I decided I'm going to spend more time planning out this next short story. I'm considering dropping 'writing with an end goal' in mind, and focusing on 'writing for the journey' mode.
@L.W.Flouisa:
I don't think it's strange at all. I always have to be at some wierd extreme in order to write anything worth reading. Like right now, when I just woke up at 1:30 AM again. I'm depressed that I won't be sleeping, that I'll be up writing when anyone with any sense is asleep at this hour. But I shouldn't be that suprised. And if I wake at this time everyday in Novermber, then I should have no trouble finishing my novel for nano. Still kinda depressing.
Hi guys,
Happy Monday morning:)
I just quit smoking for the second time. The first time was about IDK, fifteen years ago? I did really well for over ten years and thought I would never have to quit again.
I guess that was contingent on me never starting again.
I'm not sure how it happened exactly.
First I got a job where everyone was smoking around me. The smoke made me sick. When you are an ex-smoker for that long, and then you are forced to be around it, it's disgusting. You hate the way you smell when you get home. You hate the way your work clothes reek. But then at some point you stop noticing it.
The next stage is when you've had a couple days off, and you are so bitchy you don't even know why. You get ready to go in to work thinking, 'What is wrong with me?' Then, you walk in the door- all of the smoke hits you- and as soon as you start to breathe the polluted air, every muscle in your body relaxes. You walk in, and the smoke isn't even a bother anymore, it has a familiar quality like home. The bitchy mood disappears, and soon you are smiling and happy to be there, although you really don't know why.
The third stage was intense stress. This is the breaking point for many.
For me it was my two eldest children moving in with my ex, and the younger of the two picking up bad habits after he moved there. After my son was the second to leave me so he could basically do what he wanted- he wasn't gone longer than a couple of weeks before the whole reason I quit to begin with was a moot point. He began smoking at only fifteen.
I went to work the night I found out, and asked my boss for a cigarette. He smoked my old brand, and I thought- just one isn't going to hurt anything. He handed me the square, and said 'hey- I thought you didn't smoke'. I lit it up before he could stop me, and replied, 'I quit over ten years ago'. He raised his eyebrows and his eyes bugged for a second before he shut his mouth and walked away. Of course that one turned into one a night, and then two, and then smoking at home too, since my fifteen year old who also has asthma is doing it, why fight anymore?
This was three years ago. I've been trying to quit again ever since.
A good friend said to me the other day- 'I think it's insane that you smoke with your health problems'. I was telling him how much I had cut back, how maybe in another month I would be ready to make the jump and quit again. He came back with the above response, and then he said, 'You should quit today, right now'.
At first I thought, well this guy has never smoked, or had kids, so what does he know?
But a few minutes later more important thoughts hit me. He wouldn't have said a thing if it wasn't such a big deal, if he didn't care. Here I am thinking the worst of this poor guy, 'oh, he'd never understand' When really he did, he knew I needed to start the new pattern as soon as possible. He could've been like a lot of friends and thought, 'it's none of my business, I'm not getting involved'. But he took the risk of offending me, because he cared if I got to see my kids grow up or not.
This was the last push I needed apparently. I hated smoking. I hated the smell, how expensive it was, the way it was making me feel- to thin and old. I hated the taste, the morning cough, being a slave to anything- I hated that the worst.
So this is the third day.
Still really hard no matter how much I hate it. But I'm not giving up. The last time I quit, I had been smoking for seven years. It was a nightmare that only a fool like me would end up repeating. Even though this time, it was less than half of the time, and a year of it was spent on a vape pen- another epic fail at quitting- it's just as hard as the first time. Maybe worse, but everything usually is in the moment.
None of us are getting younger, you never get time back once it is spent. But when you smoke- you're spending it even faster than necessary- something else that appalls me in regard to how stupid I could be.
This will be hard, maybe forever, but I can never respect myself again if I don't try. Besides, I know it won't last, but for the time being, at least I am sleeping a little better. Besides the waking up at three am part. Lol.
As someone with friends with said habit, glad you're trying.^^
I pretty much decided night is my writing time. I tried writing during the day, but there is so much noise at the moment during those hours creating a new bedroom, I can't focus on anything like I used to.
I need to think about job and apartment hunting. I think it's the third time mom broke her word that she'd help me look for a place. I have HRT I need to be taking.
Going to pull an all nighter. My daughter is being hospitalized, and since there is no one to relieve me of my shift here, I will be up all night in this hard plastic chair, with nothing and no one to keep me company but my laptop.
Maybe I can try to get ahead on my nano.
If anyone is up, say hi! Hi everyone.
Hello, hope things work out with your daughter. I send well wishes.
Thank you so much! Very thoughtful.
I hope your writing is going well, and your dreams have been pleasant.
Happy Manic Monday!
Hi everyone. Just doing a little bump since it's the middle of the night after all, and we have some new insomniacs I would love to welcome to LR! Welcome new Zombies!
Is this too late or too early for night owl zombiedom?
