My most productive time may be when I’m half asleep.  My most important writing tool is a small pad of paper on my nightstand.

 My younger daughter has to catch the school bus at a ridiculous 6:52 a.m.  Much of the year, it’s dark; much of the year, it’s cold.  Also, there are coyotes in our neck of the (literal) woods.  In theory, I deplore how safety-obsessed our culture has become, and how overprotective most parents seem to be nowadays.  In practice, I drive my daughter to the bus stop down the street.  Then, as I’m self-employed and work from home, I often try to go back to sleep for an hour or three.  I don’t always end up sleeping, but it’s time well spent, nonetheless. 

I have learned over the years that no matter how good an idea or how important a task, I will probably forget it if I don’t write it down.  So I keep a pad of paper on a mini-clipboard, and a pen, on the nightstand next to my bed.  I don’t use it much at night, but in the mornings, when I’m trying to go back to sleep, I may write myself 7 or 8 notes.  Some will be about phone calls to make or deadlines to check on, but some will be about my writing.   

This morning, I had an idea for a story to write.  Haul myself up, lean over, knock the pad off the nightstand, pick it up, almost fall out of bed, save myself, write down my idea.  Lie back down.  Realize that my idea can be combined with another idea, and may be just what I need to turn that idea into my next novel.  Haul myself up . . . etc. And I still managed to get some more sleep.  I call that a good morning.