My title is a bit misleading. In the days leading up to Election Day, I did rise in the wee hours and did write. I’m not a morning person, but for years I’ve known writers who worked on their stories before sunrise. There are certainly advantages: it’s quiet, the rest of the (sensible) world sleeps, word counts soar. But it was the election that prompted this deviation from my normal schedule.
In a moment of patriotism, I had volunteered to work at the polls as an Officer of Election (OOE) on Election Day, 5am-7pm and beyond. Yikes! I needed to “train” my system to endure such a radical change to my schedule, and that meant early to bed, early to rise. As long as I was at it, I would write.
Starting on Tuesday, October 29, I rose at 6 am for two days, 5am for two days, and 4 am for three days. I enjoyed coffee, my cat’s companionship, and worked on a short story. I read book on writing, touted as a how-to book on craft (we can always learn about craft); in reality, it was a commentary on writing, delivered in a lofty tone. It required a focus that kept me awake. I did not check my email or anything else on my computer (I wrote in longhand).
Bedtime ranged from 9-10pm, and I had no trouble falling asleep—until the night before the big day when I didn’t get to sleep until 12:30pm. That meant I had three hours and ten minutes of shuteye. Would I be able to make it through the day? As Frank Sinatra crooned, “I’m in the autumn of the year” (in more ways than one).
I did make it through, and enjoyed myself. I worked with a nice group of volunteers and the day was incident-free. The voters were pleasant and cheerful, a diverse group representing a range of ages and cultures. Interesting dress and hair styles as well. A writer’s paradise! I mainly helped them scan their ballots and handed out “I Voted” stickers. Many children accompanied their parents and enjoyed the “Future Voter” stickers. I also worked the floor, directing voters to booths, the ballot scanner, and occasionally the restrooms. Voting is at the heart of democracy and I appreciated taking a part in the process.
Would I do it again? Not likely, but it may be too soon to decide. Early voting holds more appeal, as the volunteers work in shifts, a much kinder arrangement. And it would still offer a way to pay tribute to my mother, who worked at the polls for decades.
My feelings about rising early to write: I liked seeing the sun rise and the light growing brighter and brighter. But I found it quite lonely, especially on the 4am days. The quiet was very, well, quiet. I can see the appeal, but it’s not for me.
Happy writing, whenever and wherever you string those words together. And thank you for voting!
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The Writers in Residence 
FROM JILL – Maggie, a nice roundup of your Election Day work. I, too, worked at our town hall that day, counting absentee ballots as well as 52 from people from town who live abroad. All of them voted EXACTLY the same way, same names, which, being a mystery writer, I found suspicious. Nice to be paid for that day and we even finished a couple of hours early. We all, 23 of us, brought our own lunch, water, etc. As you say, what a paradise for writers, an unusual location at which to tuck away impressions, chit-chat, etc. We never know when such a plum experience can appear.
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Jackie, thanks for your service. Such a good feeling!
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Maggie, you certainly had an interesting and challenging schedule for those three days. It’s really nice that you helped out that way. And maybe you can include the experience in your writing sometime!
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Linda, I hope to work this into my writing. Too good an opportunity to pass by!
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I was really tempted to work the election this year too, only it involved more days than just the election. I ended up NOT doing it. But I like how you prepared yourself for the early hours. A good recommendation to us.
And I’m looking forward to reading about some of those “characters” drawn from your day helping voters (and kids). Thanks for your service, Maggie.
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Very interesting post, Maggie. Thank you for sharing and for your work at the polls. In today’s world that takes no small amount of courage as well as diligence. I’ve done some predawn wakeups myself for more selfish reasons, and it is eerie to be up at an hour when it seems like the rest of the world is sleeping. I enjoy watching daylight seep into the landscape (well, onto the side of my neighbor’s garage anyway.) It has a kind of magical feel to it.
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Bonnie, You’re right about that magical feel to the dawn breaking. Great experience!
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I went to my local library to vote and the atmosphere was happy and celebratory. LA got some positive results, too.
As for rising before dawn… I did that for years when I worked as an actress in TV and films. It was fun, driving in the dark to location or the studios. Although, when I did that as a teenager in England, it was not so much fun as it was often raining, snowing or icy. Now, I enjoy getting up later when the sun is up. Although I do wonder if I would accomplish more writing if I rose before dawn….
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Rosemary, I guess we each need to find a schedule that works. Like I wrote, I didn’t find the quiet conducive to writing–this from someone who complains so much about noise!–but I could probably get used to it if I tried.
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