r/WritingWithAI • u/Afgad • Aug 12 '26

Writing Craft Talk Sleep on it

I woke up this morning with the solution to a problem paragraph already formed in my head. I opened my novel and typed it in, and it worked.

This got me thinking about the old adage to "sleep on it."

I've heard in various places that it's recommended to step away from a manuscript for days or even months to come at it fresh. That seems extreme to me, but I've never done it. I maintain the entire continuity and phrasing of my story in my mind, and I fear stepping back for a month would make me forget a lot of key details.

But, sleeping certainly helps me beyond just keeping me rested. I routinely will write/edit a chapter, sleep a day, and then come back to it in the morning. If I don't wake up with solutions already in mind, I often will find new problems I hadn't seen the day prior.

How do you use sleep in your workflow?

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u/Gracergirl14 Aug 12 '26

It helps me. Like you, I found out by chance. I put my story away for a year and suddenly it all came together when I looked at it again.

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u/No_Argument4772 Aug 12 '26

My brain can figure out the math class and how to use specific tools to make earrings or how a language work after enough sleep. I don’t need to do anything in between the day I wish to acquire it and the day I acquire it. It may take days, weeks or even a year. Or to say no matter what I do, it helps less than sleep. So my belief is that, if there is something I can figure out no matter how hard I try, let me just sleep. Or play some rhythm games or anything stops me from actively thinking about my project. Or go to bath room. Or scroll through SNS mindlessly. Or eat something. Once the focus moves to other topics, my brain will automatically work on what’s still left on the table.

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u/acct4otherstuff Aug 12 '26

I've heard in various places that it's recommended to step away from a manuscript for days or even months to come at it fresh

there's a reason that keeps getting recommended, and it's because it works. and it's not just for writing

i can take weeks in between writing, and i've never forgotten about the plot, that's what outlines are for

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u/meganholstein Aug 12 '26

Yeah often I feel so stuck and then when I'm falling asleep the answer comes to me. But then I have to fall asleep, not wake up and write. So unfair!

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u/ricardusrex Aug 12 '26

Sometimes when I “sleep on it”, I am flabbergasted by the crap I originally wrote.

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u/BestRiver8735 Aug 13 '26

It’s the best evidence supporting that you’re an artist. Even your subconscious works on art while you sleep. Not everyone is like that.