Blogger: Wendy Lawton
Summer officially begins in a little less than a month. Of course, we all know that with Memorial Day the season really begins, regardless of what the calendar says. We sense those things that mark the real seasonal shifts. Summer starts when prom dresses and corsages are carefully put away, when school lets out, when graduations take place and when the beach starts calling our name. Autumn is ushered in by school clothes shopping, fall foliage and the first day of school. Winter comes on the heels of Thanksgiving, as soon as we start hearing Christmas music, right? And spring? Well, spring is deferent for every climate zone. It happens when green begins to push from brown or through snow.
It’s funny that this summer caught me unprepared. I think I’ve been so busy, head down, nose to the grindstone that, until I began to see prom and graduation pictures on Facebook, I would have sworn we were still in April. But for those of us in the publishing industry, summer marks a whole different rhythm. It started last week for me. We had deadlines for having our material ready for ICRS (The Christian publishing industry trade show) and the stream of email slowed somewhat. It’s like everyone is making the season shift.
It started me thinking. What are the best seasons for writing? What are the hardest seasons? I found reasons for and against each season. For instance:
Winter is the perfect time to hole up in a cozy office and write. Traditionally storytellers seem to gravitate to long nights and a warm fire.
But on the other hand, in western culture Winter can be our busiest time with Christmas, New Years parties, endless church activities, school pageants, gift buying, card sending. . . need I go on?
Spring seems to mark a sense of rebirth, new ideas and the return of writing conferences. It’s a season of possibilities.
But conversely spring brings Easter and all that entails, spring break, spring cleaning, garden chores, science fair, dance recitals and any number of responsibilities, depending on what stage of life one is in.
Summer. Ahh, summer. We can move our writing out onto the deck or take ourselves to a hideaway by the lake. The days are so much longer that we can practically meet our writing word goals almost done before anyone else is awake.
Of course summer may mean the kids are home from school. Grade school children are usually bored by the third day of summer vacation. Teens seem to sleep forever, draping themselves over every piece of furniture in the house. And food! It feels like all we do is create meals. Add in vacation travel, VBS, family visitors from afar, slumber parties and barbecues and summer is gone before we know it.
Autumn may be the perfect time. I’ve always felt that the Tuesday following Labor Day is the real start of a new year. In the days when we had children starting school, Keith and I would always go out to breakfast that first day of school, after dropping the kids off. A new beginning. Quiet once more. Perfect weather, not too hot, not too cold. Glorious color.
That’s not to forget that autumn marks harvest and if we garden or preserve food or stock the freezer, it is a busy, busy time. And when we begin to think of relatives coming from far away, we look at the walls and decide we must get a coat of paint on them. Many of us have to start making meals ahead for the family we will abandon for November’s NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month).
All that to say, I couldn’t settle on the perfect season. I decided to put it to you. Give me your own pros and cons. Is there a season better for writing than another? What is the worst season for you? Do deadlines render this moot? Please chime in. I’m curious.
I am married to a pastor, and I find Advent and Lent filled with extra activities. And a host of things to write about!
I like that you see the upside, Shirlee. The busiest seasons are the best fodder for writing.
I feel more energized in spring and summer with the longer days, and I think I write more. This was the first spring I didn’t have sporting events to attend, so I thought I’d have more time to write. But my job changed, and I’ve put in long days during the transition. This summer my youngest son is getting married, so we’ve got lots of wonderful wedding activities to participate in. Despite these major events, I still think the longer days give me more time to write.
Life definitely gets in the way, doesn’t it? But some things, like establishing a new family, is more important than writing. It’s important to live life not to just write about it.
Your exactly right. God first, family second…
December is the worst for me. I love freeing this season of everything. In order to focus on Jesus, my family. I get all my articles written ahead of time, if possible, as far as it depends on me. Free. Free. Free. And then the strangest thing happens. Ideas come … and I write, write, write. This happened for me the last three years. 🙂 I’m a hopeless case. 😉
Hopeless in a good way!
You aren’t hopeless. Think about it, you manage to get everything else out of the way that you’re obligated to finish, then you can play!
When I worked as a teacher’s assistant for exceptional education my best season of writing happened during the summer, even though all my kids were home. Now that I’m a self employed, empty-nester my most productive writing season has the possibility of happening all over the calendar. Not a good thing. Sometimes I have trouble staying focused due to extra down time. I need to revisit the B&S post about giving oneself a deadline for productive writing.
*Purchasing a laptop has helped immensely. Thanks to the persuasive powers of my young adult children I can relocate creative inspiration to the nearest sunny window, back porch or park bench. Sunshine powered creativity is a huge plus for me.
I’m with you on the sunshine, Lara, as long as there isn’t too much to overpower the display. I like to sit out by the pond in the backyard with the goldfish, birds, and box turtles, but the sunshine is very bright in New Mexico. It can make it hard to write outside under the cloudless skies of early summer.
I’m so glad you said this, Lara. I’ve heard this over and over, having more time and more freedom sometimes makes us less productive.
I like every season. May and December tend to be this mom’s busiest months of the year. I have learned to make time to write in every season. I literally have to carve out time, and get my family on-board for this to happen. It seems like most years, I’m not ready to NaNo, but my books often get fast drafted during the spring. Then, I rewrite, revise, and edit in summer and sometimes the fall. When I’ve got my duckies in a row, that is. 🙂
I like that you already know the rhythms of your year, Jeanne.
You pose the question about writing in the seasons marked by the calendar. This morning, however, I am looking at the seasons of my own life and how they have/will impact my writing.
As a young adult I was very interested in writing, but I really wasn’t sure how to pursue it. That season of life melted into one of raising our children and teaching, a busy season to be sure. Still, I knew that I was called to write. Recent years have brought many writing opportunities. The days have been packed with writing in the early mornings (before school), evenings, on weekends, and during the summer. Today begins a new season of my life and my writing. It is the first day of my (early) retirement from teaching. Although I will miss my students and colleagues, I look forward to more time to craft books for young readers.
Agreed, Carol. I started writing seriously when the last child left home. The next threshold (retirement, or semi-retirement) should open new doors for writing and platform development.
Shirlee, The seasons of our lives do offer a variety of opportunities. And the opportunities of each have been fulfilling and inspiring – great ideas for writing!
Congratulations on your retirement, Carol. 🙂
Thanks, Shelli.
Carol, the beauty of retirement is you can make writing your new full-time job if you want to. Congratulations on your liberation to follow your passion!
Thank you, Carol. I am looking forward to increased writing time in this season.
Congratulations, Carol! How exciting.
Thank you, Wendy.
Maybe I’m a bit on the odd side, Wendy, but I don’t have any special season, time, or even place where I write more effectively than others.
*With my college kids living in apartments and me being retired, I don’t have seasonal activities controlling my schedule like they used to. Not a day goes by (except for 2 of the 6 days I had the flu this year) that I’m not on my laptop, even if it happens after midnight because the daytime was too full.
*I haul the laptop around the house to one of the six places I write most often. I even carry a dc-to-ac converter when we travel so I can charge my laptop while we drive if I drain the battery. Driving for the hundredth time through the West Texas oil fields is a great time for writing.
That’s the beauty of this time in your life. I’m even a little farther down the road– no kids still in college. But after years of having schedules set by family responsibilities, it is a luxury to be able to set ones own schedule.
For all those still in the middle of kid craziness, enjoy every minute. It goes way too fast, right, Carol?
Way too fast! If only life had a freeze-frame function!
Yes, it goes by way too fast.
The summer of my heart is eternal.
I love hearing that. Eternal.
I wonder if when we step into eternity it will be summer. What fun to find out the differences between our fallen world and perfection. I’m guessing we’ll finally have plenty of time to write.
I write during fall and winter, edit during the spring. I can’t do much during the summer with three young ones out of school and wanting to ride bikes to the river and have picnics at the park! Missing that is not an option, so I take summers off more or less, for now.
I’m curious about an agent’s seasons, not for writing but for taking submissions. Is there a season that is best for submitting or not ideal for submitting?
Oh, Katie! Your summer sounds wonderful. Don’t give up a minute of it.
About an agent’s rhythm, I still haven’t found it. It seems like our schedule is much like a firefighters. It depends on what kinds of fires we need to respond to.
I am experiencing a whole different “season” this year. The one where your littles are old enough play by themselves on the playground!! My children are 6 and 4 and now I can sit on my deck with my laptop and have them go play in the yard without having to be by their side. I’m a bit blindsided by this newfound freedom (even if it only comes in 20 min spurts). I must say, Winter makes a whole lot more sense to write in due to the fact I’m typically snuggled on my couch after kids go to bed. But honestly, something about summer inspires me to write feverishly and I tend to get my highest word counts and best work done then.
Interesting, Jaime Jo. How good that your little ones get to see their mommy working at the job of her dreams.
I love to write out on my deck in the summer especially early morning before the busyness of the neighborhood starts! There’s nothing about putting words to paper (or I mean to screen! ha!) out in God’s nature. In the cooler months, my office is in the dreary basement (no wonder I write suspense!) and I live in Canada, so it’s nice to get out into the sun after winter’s captivity. 🙂 Not sure that one outweighs the other for deadlines. There are distractions in both seasons, so I have to stay focused.
Great post, Wendy! Happy Memorial Day weekend coming up. Enjoy with your family.
I like that you are out in full view of the neighborhood, Darlene. One of the dangers of being a writer is staying holed up in our writer bubble and never connecting with the people around us.
Waves hello from New Brunswick!!!
I visited your website and umm, my husband is from Toronto, my friend LH is in the same town, and family is down the road in St.T!
And YES, is it ever nice to get out into the sun after winter’s captivity!
Hey, I’m from Moncton (actually Riverview), New Brunswick! Small world. So cool. Waving right back at ya. 😉
P.S. Sorry Wendy for taking over your comments. tee hee
No way! I’m from Vancouver, but we live just south of Freddy! That is SO cool!
I love your website, Darlene. I’m so glad to see you here.
Thanks, Shelli! Good to see you too!
Like Jaime Jo, I’m dealing with a different season of life. As a widow living far from my family I joined lots of groups and must do everything my husband did besides everything I always did around the house. I was much more efficient at using my time when I had a full-time job and regular schedule than I am now.
I find it very difficult to write in summer, because I still have a child at home. Although, I can edit during summer, but I find creating very difficult.
For me, the school year is the best time to write, or late at night when everyone is sleeping.
Winter. Yes, Christmas is at the start of winter, but we still have January and February before any springtime activities start to surge through the quiet.
I didn’t know it was spring until I went to church one Saturday without an umbrella. Imagine how I dripped. And now, I’m not consciously noting spring’s wrapping up. I’ve been writing for over a year, and I can’t pick out that particular season where I wrote best. As long as there’s a midnight, or a day at home alone without any disturbance, any season works.
I teach music and art, so summer is a great time for me to catch up–reading and writing! I just read Debbie Macomber’s Love Letters last week on vacation, and I got some great “on location” material for my writing. Win-win. ?