Trouble sleeping as a writer of erotica?

[BobbyBrandt]

Not exactly.
I'm a light sleeper and early riser, and sometimes I'll wake up earlier than I want to and be unable to go back to sleep, so I just get up and tell myself, "Might as well write sex stories."

Like you, I don't lose sleep over my writing, or anything else really.

In that state between slumber and full wakefulness, my mind often will wander to all sorts of thoughts related to whatever is going on, or is planned in my life, and sometimes that does include thoughts about what I am writing or considering writing. I am not motivated to jump out of bed to start putting my thoughts into words though. If I can't remember my thoughts for an hour or more, then they probably weren't worth having.

 

[Djmac1031]

Only time I've had that happen is when I'm in the thick of writing for awhile but need to go to bed, but ideas keep coming.

I have found myself, several times, reaching for my phone and making notes so I don't forget them the next morning.

 

[Djmac1031]

Oh and if you're having trouble sleeping, I've found relaxation/ meditation audios help.

There's even some really good hypnotic ones on Pornhub that are sexy AND help you relax and sleep.

Shibbysays is awesome, look her up.

 

[PennameWombat]

Strange subject to be sure, but bear with me.
I am a planner. Whether I'm adding new doors to the barn, or building a model or diorama, I plan that shit out to the Nth degree in my brain. Parts needed, measurements, possible issue, etc. This by itself will make it hard to fall asleep.

However, I've recently started writing here. My fourth story is pending as we type. I really enjoy it. However, planner mode kicks in whenever I come up with a new story idea or am stuck on a scene. On top of being something artistic and detailed, it's titillating and fun to think about, so my planner mode kicks into overdrive. I'll lay there for hours thinking about it, to the point where I'll even dream about it when I do fall asleep.

Is anyone else afflicted with this condition? I need a nap.

I often start with a single scene, a beginning or an ending, and pants it from there. I will, on occasions, have a vague plan in mind and do what’s been referred to as ‘gardening’ - have a plan but feel free to modify or move away from it.

I’ve never lost sleep over it.

I think everyone is ignoring the real interesting question here in favour of starting another planner/pantser war. Isn't the fun topic here?

1: Have you ever had a dream featuring your story/the characters from your story?

and to add my own flipped version of the question

2: Have you ever had a dream that you then turned into a story?

I do some planning before going to bed at night (though more on my daily walks), but rarely so much that it interfers with my sleep. I have stayed up until 2am on a work night on occassion because I've been in the flow.

I’ll reverse these by saying that yes, with dreams, it’s primarily that I’ve based my main shared universe around multiple dreams. Whether it’s due to having read lots of science fiction and fantasy, I don’t know, but over the years my dreams have often returned to a certain setting. I don’t use storylines from dreams that setting, but I’ve always wondered how the world ended up where it is in the dreams.

I do have a couple of one-off stories here that grew out of dreams, Through the Woods is the prime example for me. But even in that story, and for most, I’ve found I agree with Jeff Vandermeer’s comment in his Wonderbook that “dream logic isn’t story logic.” For that story, it gave me the two MCs and the woods, a little forested area along a river in a city, and nothing else. So, inspiration, but it left me with lots to still do.

But I can’t say I’ve had my characters appear in my dreams. Possibly some of the half-awake semi-lucid dreams when I’m not yet asleep or not quite awake and I had a WIP in mind. But not ’full’ dreams for which I have any recall.

 

[Comshaw]

Strange subject to be sure, but bear with me.
I am a planner. Whether I'm adding new doors to the barn, or building a model or diorama, I plan that shit out to the Nth degree in my brain. Parts needed, measurements, possible issue, etc. This by itself will make it hard to fall asleep.

However, I've recently started writing here. My fourth story is pending as we type. I really enjoy it. However, planner mode kicks in whenever I come up with a new story idea or am stuck on a scene. On top of being something artistic and detailed, it's titillating and fun to think about, so my planner mode kicks into overdrive. I'll lay there for hours thinking about it, to the point where I'll even dream about it when I do fall asleep.

Is anyone else afflicted with this condition? I need a nap.

I learned many years ago (how many I will NEVER say) how to sleep. I've slept in some really strange and difficult places that were not very conducive to that activity: in a bunker with a 175mm cannon going off every couple of minutes directly over head, buried in a mound of hay bales, in a motorcycle sidecar doing 70 mph going up over Cabbage Pass in Oregon. How do I do it? It's really no secret, a blank mind. What I do is when I get to the point I want to sleep, I allow my mind to go blank or if I have something bothering me and my mind just won't stop, I fill it with a hum and concentrate on that. It takes me less than 5 minutes to fall asleep most times. Rarely (I can count the times on one hand) has it not worked.

Like many things though it's a learned condition. I've taught myself to relax and blank my mind. It might take you some time to learn, but if you do, if you practice it, I guarantee you will have no problem falling asleep.

What ever you do, I wish you luck. There is nothing better for a person than good nights sleep.

Comshaw

 

[TunnelKing089]

I should hire you as my sleep coach, I sleep so terribly. I'll have to give your suggestion a try, though.

Not trying to be a smartass but...
You should try about 10-12 hours of honest manuel labor now and then,doesn't have to be hard work just something to keep you active.And when 8 or 9 PM rolls around when your head hits the pillow you should have no trouble.

20 hours on a sex site daily isn't gonna help you sleep,carry on.

 

[TunnelKing089]

I should hire you as my sleep coach, I sleep so terribly. I'll have to give your suggestion a try, though.

So how is this going?I hope my advise helped but 'I'll keep checking on you and your problems.
Carry on.

 

[Smuttyandfun]

So how is this going?I hope my advise helped but 'I'll keep checking on you and your problems.
Carry on.

I've had trouble sleeping since I was a kid. I think it's just the way I'm made. Writing keep my brain ticking, but I'm not about to give it up.
Thanks for checking in, though.

 

[TunnelKing089]

I've had trouble sleeping since I was a kid. I think it's just the way I'm made. Writing keep my brain ticking, but I'm not about to give it up.
Thanks for checking in, though.

Welcome,I'll check in on you now and then for updates and see how many hours sleep you're getting.
Carry on.

 

[gordo12]

to the point where I'll even dream about it when I do fall asleep.

Is anyone else afflicted with this condition? I need a nap.

Yep, I often plan dialogue and scenes falling asleep. I've woken up wondering how the characters (Mallory - Demon Blood) were doing today like they were real. The worst was with Fido. I woke up hysterically giggling at a planned scene (flying bone) around 3 am and couldn't shake it out of my head till around 5.

I also had a Pavlov response making myself coffee first thing in the morning. When I was writing Wheelchair Girl, every time I started coffee, that story would flash into my mind, and I'd start running scenes and dialogue through. Right now I have the same problem with a Western I'm writing.

 

[Duleigh]

Not trying to be a smartass but...
You should try about 10-12 hours of honest manuel labor now and then,doesn't have to be hard work just something to keep you active.And when 8 or 9 PM rolls around when your head hits the pillow you should have no trouble.

20 hours on a sex site daily isn't gonna help you sleep,carry on.

Ok, I tried your advice. I had Manuel put in a long hard day... didn't help, I turned and tossed all night

Personally, I'd LOVE to be able to take your advice, but 50 years of 10 - 12 hour long days doing manual labor, most of it honest, much of it would curl your hair. But like many folks in my position, those days trashed my spinal column, I'm lucky to get 4 - 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep because of the pain. Routinely I undergo a procedure called a Radio Frequency nerve ablation to fry the nerve cells that transmit the pain. If anyone has problems with chronic, severe back pain and their doctor says that the RF Ablation will help, get it! Because the alternative is addictive (but cheap) opiates.

 

[TunnelKing089]

I should hire you as my sleep coach, I sleep so terribly. I'll have to give your suggestion a try, though.

Anyways I have a few questions...
Are you on disability by chance? social security?on medication?

20 hours on here today again?

 

[Smuttyandfun]

No, no disability. I work, and write. And I'm not on any medications.

Sounds like I'm not the only writer with an overactive mind, though.

 

[TunnelKing089]

No, no disability. I work, and write. And I'm not on any medications.

Sounds like I'm not the only writer with an overactive mind, though.

Elaborate on this work some....
Are you active?

 

[TunnelKing089]

I should hire you as my sleep coach, I sleep so terribly. I'll have to give your suggestion a try, though.

Might be a dumb question but I'm gonna ask...
How can you work when you're on a sex site 20 hours a day?Maybe I'm missing something...

 

[Smuttyandfun]

I mostly stay up late on weekends, when I get most of my writing done. Though I have been known to show up kind of bleary-eyed, if I've been up too late working on a story.

For years, I used to walk five miles every night, but I found I got revved up and it was even harder to sleep. I still walk, but my walks are shorter.

 

[TunnelKing089]

I should hire you as my sleep coach, I sleep so terribly. I'll have to give your suggestion a try, though.

Hope this isn't a nosy question sorry my curiosity gets the better of me but...
Did you possibly inherit all your money?wealth?

 

[Smuttyandfun]

Nope. I wish, LOL.

 

[TunnelKing089]

Nope. I wish, LOL.

So you write and sell your books?And stay on a sex site 20 hours a day?fascinating.
How much you make for every book?

 

[Smuttyandfun]

I never said I sell my stories. I work 9-5 in an office. Though I know it'll never happen, I'd love to write full time.

I'm actually working on a few stories now, so I should get back to them.

 

[TunnelKing089]

I never said I sell my stories. I work 9-5 in an office. Though I know it'll never happen, I'd love to write full time.

I'm actually working on a few stories now, so I should get back to them.

Really?how can you be on a sex site so much with a 9-5 job?
Well you need to at least get up and stretch every hour,that chair is killer on the lower back.and we'll talk about full workout/exercising program later.

 

[yukonnights]

The short and honest answer is; No, I've never based a story on a dream.

When I think of a story idea I'm awake, I jot it down with some ideas for some future effort. But when I actually start writing the story, my technique is much more like watching a movie in my head and basically putting that movie into written words — this is especially effective once the character's feelings, emotions, and interior dialogue come into the picture. I find that to be a very immersive approach as well as a very efficient one for my purposes here. I typically become quite close to the main characters and feel what they feel — desire what they desire — fear what they fear, etc.

Interesting to see how other's approach their stories.

 

[TunnelKing089]

I should hire you as my sleep coach, I sleep so terribly. I'll have to give your suggestion a try, though.

Oh another question if you don't mind...
Do you post your Lit stories here?I might be interested in reading some of these thoughts that's in your brain...

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Sometimes I figure out what characters A & B would do in a situation, and doze off to sleep.

Sometimes I'm doped up, dream wonderful stories, then realise that the sex-change species change and time change don't work in reality.

Sometimes I type to confront the insomnia or distract from pain.

If you lot are unlucky, I take good drugs then leave messages all over internet forums.

 

[Smuttyandfun]

Oh another question if you don't mind...
Do you post your Lit stories here?I might be interested in reading some of these thoughts that's in your brain...

Just look up - Smuttyandfun in the list of authors on the main page, and you'll see what I write.