When is your cut off time for writing?

My best writing times are between 1 and 4. Doesn't matter if it is AM or PM.

When I'm fully immersed in a project, I wake up thinking about it and can get to writing immediately. And I'll also keep myself up late with writing, because I can't stop thinking about the story. I can somewhat influence my immersion by reading what I've previously written or listening to an audiobook in the same genre throughout the day. It keeps the hunger for storytelling on my mind.

If I'm not immersed because other things are taking up my time, then I'm mostly outlining sporadically for when I can get back to immersion.

If I'm on a deadline for a workshop submission, there is no cutoff time.

I write for my day job (not fiction) so I usually use early morning hours for my real job. Then I write fiction when I get home from work...if I'm not too tired. Usually I manage some energy to knock out about 1,000 words. I'm focusing on doing a lot of revisions to a manuscript at the moment and that takes a lot of brainpower but I'm pushing through it. Ideally, I'd like to write fiction in the mornings as well.

Annie Bellet said:

My best writing times are between 1 and 4. Doesn't matter if it is AM or PM.

Click to expand...

That's a bit strange

I have no cut off time. I write when I write. If I'm feeling creating I'm certainly not going to argue with it, lol.

I don't have a cutoff time, really. I write in 30 minute sprints and fit in as many sprints as I can in a given day around my other workload and life. Morning, afternoon, evening, small hours--whatever it takes.

Lately I've been finding my sweet spot from after dinner until about 9:30pm.

If I'm really kickin' I might stay up several hours.  But I don't have many days like that, writing-wise.

Stephanie Marks said:

I have no cut off time. I write when I write. If I'm feeling creating I'm certainly not going to argue with it, lol.

Click to expand...

Pretty much this. Whenever it hits me, I write. Or, if I'm not struck by a sudden burst of inspiration, I'll write before my daughter gets up. Sometimes I'll wait until my wife comes home so she can spend time with the little one and I can get some writing done.

When I can barely keep my eyes open at 3 or 4 am

Before 5 pm. After that, it's nearly impossible for me to focus.

In the morning, my cut off time is when I need to leave for work. Or, if I'm at a really good bit or approaching the end of a scene, possibly five minutes after I should have left for work

If I write in the evening, I must stop at 9pm so I can have an hour of watching telly wind down before bed. If I try to continue writing later and go straight to bed I don't sleep because my brain is still active. If I continue writing until later and still have my telly hour wind down afterwards I'm then too tired the following morning. But I rarely do much in the evenings.

I don't know how people can regularly stay up until midnight or later.

I've got a full time job, so during the week I have to write in the evenings. I try to get started after I've eaten tea, then stop by half nine so I can decompress a little before beddy-byes. (I like to sleep, I'm not staying up till the early morning writing then getting up at seven for work..!)

I don't get to write at my best times. I write early in the morning after I feed the cat or before my daughter wakes up. Sometimes I write at other times, which means I'm continuously interrupted. I'm done by 9pm. My concentration is kaput.

8am to noon. 1pm to 3:30.

That's when the kids get home from school. After that..Hey dad!... its... Hey Dad!...nearly impossible....Hey Dad!...to think. 

Sometimes this leads to some burning of the midnight oil.

I put in an hour writing from 7- 8, which is where the bulk of my work comes from. I will sometimes write again on the bus ride home from 4-5 if I missed my morning quota.

My cut off time is whenever I stop writing. I don't set arbitrary timelines for myself. I'm writing fiction; not assembling widgets.  If the muse wants to run, I run with her until I can't keep my eyes open. If she isn't up to it, I'll work on other aspects of my business or go do something else.

I've been writing since I was 13. After thirty years, I either trust my muse or I don't. I'm not gonna try to force her to punch a clock!

I work full-time and try to exercise in the mornings to keep stress down, so I try to write at night. I need some time to decompress after work so my ideal time to write is 8:30-10:30pm. I have to stop by 11 otherwise I won't be able to fall asleep; my brain will still be racing, and I'm not one of those people who can live off of 4-5 hours of sleep, unfortunately.

Stephanie Marks said:

I have no cut off time. I write when I write. If I'm feeling creating I'm certainly not going to argue with it, lol.

Click to expand...

This. Unless life gets in the way, as it has a way of doing.