Writing By The Seasons #OpenBook Blog Hop

March 18, 2924

Is there a specific time of year when your ideas flow better and you find you’re writing more? What do you think contributes to that?

We are in our third? fourth? spring/winter. The daffodils are up but not blooming; the tulips are peaking through the compost, and I’ve spotted a few wildflowers in my yard. Yesterday it was 60°F. It’s snowed off and on all day today.

I don’t know if any of that contributes to my writing output. (Which has been terrible lately, because of a lot of other circumstances.) The truth is, I’ve never related my level of inspiration to the seasons. That may be because I have spent many years living in areas that don’t conform to a ‘standard’ cycle of seasons. Like Florida with no seasons. Or Wyoming, with a 9-month long winter. I’ve learned to adapt.

What I crave is light.

Lots of it. Sunshine is almost perfect, but even artificial lighting works. I’m not one of these folks who stares at a computer screen and dims all the surrounding lights. Why do I say almost perfect for the sun? This time of year, there’s about an hour in the morning when the sun streams in my office window and right into my eyes. I can’t write without closing the curtains, which I don’t want to do. Last spring, I attempted to sit on my deck to write, but I couldn’t see my laptop’s screen. I want to try again this year, but use paper and pen.

During the summer, one factor that plays into my productivity is the book-selling events I take part in. A two-day festival within a couple of hours from home takes three or four days out of my writing schedule when including preparation and time to decompress. As a result, my overall output goes way down. There aren’t many outdoor festivals in the late fall and winter, and haven’t found a schedule of indoor events to add to my repertoire.

Photo by Casey Britton: https://www.pexels.com/photo/overexposed-photograph-of-a-window-13742248/

I’m more dependent on the time of day.

Mornings and evenings are when I can settle into my writing, no matter what the season. I get the standard mid-afternoon slump, no matter what the task at hand. I avoid taking naps, even if my energy level isn’t at its peak. My best time is at night, with the day’s tasks complete, when I can ignore the outside world.

Here’s where I remind you to check out this week’s post by the other authors on this hop. You can do that by following the links below.  And, as always, please stay safe until the next time!

March 18, 2924

Is there a specific time of year when your ideas flow better and you find you’re writing more? What do you think contributes to that?

 

---