Well, usually.
I tend to write first rough drafts (the ones I toss and then delete the file) and second rough drafts (the ones informed by the first that, if sufficient, serve as a foundation to build on) between midnight and four a.m. The world quiets--no ringing phone, no doorbell, no red-hot email (except from fellow insomniacs, and I don't check so it doesn't matter anyway). The deep night is like another world. My job is to figure out what's going on in it.
Tonight that's not really the case. My WIP is cooling. I have materials set aside to work on my article tomorrow. There are errands to run, but I'm not really in the mood to hit a 24-hour Randall's.
I'm wired though from working out late in the day. Whenever I do that, my energy level zooms up, and I'm too antsy to fall asleep. Tomorrow I'll work out earlier. At this point in the year AKA The Melting Point, I take my exercise indoors on the treadmill to music on my iPod, which GLS was kind enough to augment this evening.
Albums added include: "Cher: Greatest Hits;" "Whitney: The Greatest Hits;" "The Blues Brothers" movie soundtrack; "Songs from Ally McBeal;" and "Bridget Jones's Diary" movie soundtrack.
My key criteria is strong beat--good for fast walking. I also like some drama in my exercise music. In particular, "The Blues Brothers" includes Aretha Franklin's "Think," which will no doubt quickly motivate me to higher physical fitness.
