We are thick into the summer heat and humidity in Florida. What’s the weather like where you are? Some writers find it difficult to focus during this time, partially due to summer doldrums, partially due to distractions of kids being out of school. Others seek out air conditioning with laptop or pen in hand, head down, fingers flying.
Here at Around the Writer’s Table, the year began in a flurry and we suddenly find ourselves mid-summer, wondering where the last six months have gone! We’ve worked on several incredible manuscripts that have gone to publication and continue to be blessed with a truly talented group of clients. Some exciting things are in store for the fall, as well.
While it was my intention to post here regularly, the flow of manuscripts has kept me in editing mode rather than writing mode. All the while, however, I feel the tug of this blog and I keep a running list of topics that authors have indicated they would like to see here. Among them are tips on writing dialogue, why authors need editors and how to find one who is a good fit for you, things an author can do that will save them time and money before submitting their manuscript to an editor, among many others. A short break from editing is in the plans so I can develop these and devote a bit of time to my own manuscript (working title “Dancing at The Orange Peel”).
When I have neglected my own writing, I get cranky. My husband reminds me of that. I’ve tried to keep a daily writing routine, and I highly recommend it to my clients, but I’ve come to accept that I’m a seasonal writer. Certain times of year are always more productive for me. I’ve talked to many writers who have similar patterns of high writing productivity, then cycles of story gestation, editing, or simply living life so they have fodder for their stories.
When I’m not in a writing routine, my muse taps me on the shoulder every summer. For several years now, I’ve attended a weeklong writer’s retreat the first week of November, so I don’t know if it is the impending report I must make to the retreat group about my progress that wakes my muse during the summer or if this is her natural time to be active. Either way, I need to listen to her and give her some attention.
What about you? Do you have a seasonal writing pattern or are you a daily writer, no matter what (yes, I’m jealous)? Is your muse more active in certain times of the year? Does she take a summer vacation?
Gina Edwards is a retreat leader, a certified creativity coach, and a book editor. She is also a writer, so she’s intimately familiar with the challenges and elation that come with being one.
She supports all writers—published and aspiring—who want to write as an act of courageous and necessary self-expression.
Walking the writer’s path hand-in-hand with her clients and students, she helps them establish a writing practice and define a creative life on their own terms.