It has been a busy few weeks here getting the kids ready to go back to school. There are activities that they want to be involved in and people they want to see. Plans are being made for the upcoming Autumn. As summer winds down I find myself feeling a little restless. I enjoy fall and love winter. Summer has been too long. I find I can’t write in the summer months. The words I put on paper seem to lack emotion. I’m not sure if it is due to the short nights or the fact that I am spending as much time as possible with my kids before the daily grind of school starts but something keeps me from putting to paper the tales that I have to tell.
That lack of productive writing has lead to sleepless nights. It is under the cloak of night that I write my best. When the world is quiet my stories come to life but here recently they have just been ideas drifting in and out. I go to write them down and the words seem forced so I put everything away and call it a night. Then I find myself not able to sleep. My mind busy with scenes I need to write once I find the words.
The other night as I was trying to sleep I kept waking to jot down a few notes for Not A Love Story (the title Will change eventually). My eyes were burning from lack of sleep but I just couldn’t get to sleep. Then sky opened up and rain began to fall. The ping of rain hitting the tin of the window air conditioner combined with the pitter patter of the rain dancing across the roof lulled me to sleep. I have heard people say that “rain is a lullaby for a writer’s soul” and it holds some truth at least for me. Though snow does the same, even more so.
I find that I get more inspired and write better when it is raining or snowing. Perhaps it has something to do with the peacefulness that comes with those storms. Maybe it is the imagery that helps to spark the imagination. There is something about it that helps me to either write or plot for a story.
With Autumn I will be able to write more as the nights get longer. Between longer evenings and rainy days I am sure to find myself writing more and feeling good about the words that appear on paper.
Do you have a more difficult time being creative during certain times of the year?
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No particular pattern to my writing now that I have contracts with deadlines (among other external obligations) which can pull me away from “new” writing for many weeks or even months at a stretch.
But, back before I had any contracts — my 7th completed novel was my first to be contracted — I found that August was typically a month filled with new story ideas. I believe I had several stories STARTED in an August.
Other than that, I don’t believe weather plays much of a role in my output. It’s about external commitments, distractions, quiet & solitude, and whether I’m fighting a deadline.
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I have trouble being creative when I’m stressed. Being mostly retired and an empty-nester that’s less of a problem than it used to be, but there are times when it seems I’m putting out fires all the time. When that happens, I end up staring at a blank screen or a blank notebook page. This doesn’t translate to a particular season, but it happens a few times a year, when I have to be daughter, wife, mom, grandma, teacher, and active musician all at the same time. My head gets sore from wearing so many hats.
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I can understand how that would block your creative flow.
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I don’t know about seasons being a problem for me, but kids around sure throw a monkey wrench in my creative flow…or any other kind of flow.They need attention.
What has been killing me is the clutter.I did a lot of uncluttering but with my son moving in and out and trying to decide on what was going with my grandson, what my sister took to him later, (and what I can now get rid of, has messed with my order again.Also, suddenly all the kids are out of many toys that we kept.I hate to part with some that have been such a part of the family, but what can you do?I don’t have unlimited space and if some other family can enjoy the well cared-for toys, they should have them.
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This summer was particularly difficult. I had hoped to get moving again yesterday but spent a lot of time spinning wheels. (Computer gremlins!) maybe next week will be better.
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