Last week I was showing a visiting friend around Budapest’s Castle District which over looks the Danube. From the lofty viewing platform, my Portuguese pal Amelia snapped the stupendous panorama of the city. Beside us, a Japanese girl sat on steps and busied herself taking ‘selfies’ – resting her camera on a height, and posing for close ups of her face. It seemed a most peculiar thing to do. These are kind of pictures you could take at home sitting on your sofa (if you were so inclined) why on earth would you come to one of the most beautiful spots in Europe for such poses. The girl and the photos her camera took were oblivious to her awe-inspiring surroundings, beyond the effect the light may have had on her visage.

The view she was missing

I was intrigued if somewhat taken aback by this vanity, so I took pictures of her posing. Later that evening this her self focus became a topic of conversation over dinner with friends. Is the ‘selfie’ is a symptom of the self-absorption of modern kids?  Not at all said a friend,  it is simply that the Internet has become the new ‘ballroom’ where young people market their physical wares in the hopes of finding a mate – and for this end, you’ve got to have the best shots and the most interesting pictures of yourself. Therefore ‘here’s me’ is not as good as ‘here’s me in Budapest’ – even if you don’t see any of Budapest.

Then it struck me that I’m already a key player in this new ‘ballroom’, I too have set out my wares – even if mating is not the goal. I have this blog, a Facebook and Twitter account – and they’re all shouting about me.  We’re all self-promoting. We’re all shouting. But are we missing out on what’s around us by doing so? Are we forgetting to live because we’re too busy blogging, tweeting, FBing etc… Hmmm…

Which leads me to my new radio play, ‘The Daffodil’ about a self-obsessed narcissist intent on winning the Eurovision. Oh, but that is another story…

It is said that the closer the brain is to the sleeping state, the more creative it is. For this reason, many writers keep their notepad by their beds and make sure that the very first thing they do when they open their eyes each morning, is write.

The resultant notes are called “morning pages”. Morning pages might contain what a writer remembers of their dreams or perhaps the writer will simply jot down the very first words that come to mind that day. Some writers say that this exercise helps them ‘slip’ more easily into what writers’ call the “rapture” when a writer feels ideas are pouring into their mind from elsewhere.

Just as the waking moments are a bridge from the sleeping state into sober reality – the hour before you go to bed is often a creative time with the brain slipping into that semi conscious state.  Hence there are plenty of writers who write late at night.

And just to show that there are no rules, there are other writers who find their most productive hours are in the middle of the day when all of life’s busyness is in full swing (the Harry Potter author, J.K. Rowling is a good example. She wrote her first book in a busy Edinburgh café).

So, I guess the point is that different times of the day work for different people and it is really of no consequence whether you are a morning, day or night writer. What is important is that you write and that you find your ideal writing time. Experiment. Find what works for you and then set an hour aside each day at that time and write. Likewise, writers have very personal tastes regarding an environment conducive to writing. There are those who like music or TV buzz in the background and those who can only write in silence. Find whatever works for you.g

In tribute to my young cousin Johnny Healy who died earlier today. Johnny, you were greatly loved and you’ll be very much missed. Rest in peace xoxo.