Seasonal Writing
Crossposted to the Deadline Dames, where there are contests, more writing advice, and occasionally giveaways. Go take a look!
It’s no use fighting it. I’m a winter writer.
I actually never thought about it until the Selkie looked at me over dinner one evening and said, “You didn’t know that? You get all your work done in the winter. It’s like you’re powered by rain.” (Or something to that effect.)
I’m not sure whether it is the rain and the fact that there’s nothing to do outside (except drown, of course, this being the Pacific Northwest and all) or whether it’s just that I’m physically so uncomfortable in the summer. I hate the heat, I dislike sweating, sunshine makes me feel odd. Plus there’s all that activity outside during the summer–the kids like playing, and I like being with them. It seems too busy to settle down.
In winter, however, I turn inward. Seeing the stories inside my head gets easier. The sound of rain on the roof makes me happy, and the chill outside makes me the perfect temperature inside. Plus, there’s the longer nights, and night-time is when the static of so many people doing their daytime thinking goes down. I have always functioned better at night. (Which makes the fact that at least one of my children is a morning person verreh ironic.) Of course I cram in the work whenever I can, it being the way I feed myself and the little darlings, but I’d be a fool if I didn’t notice what times were easiest for me. I try to arrange my life so I have the prime writing time open.
Which brings me to my point. My dear fellow writers, are you a winter or summer writer? Morning or night? Does temperature or weather matter to you? How do you arrange your writing schedule to take advantage of that, or do you?
I’m curious, you see. My besetting sin.
And now, it’s raining pretty heavily. Which means it’s primetime for me. Off I go to write…
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Tags: about me, Friday Writing, questions from the edge, the internets they know everything, Writing (About)
October 23rd, 2009 at 12:28 pm
There’s a summer version of seasonal affected disorder. I remember when I first heard of SAD (the winter version) I thought there had to be a summer version, too, because the way I feel in fall/winter is so profoundly different to my summer self.
About two or three years ago the science finally came along to back up my conviction. It doesn’t change anything for me, but at least I now know why I am so much more productive in fall/winter, and why I feel so profoundly better in the cold months.
I’m also a night person and get bursts of energy after dark, but unfortunately, the day job doesn’t allow me to pursue that as much as I would like. I have to cram the writing in when I can. But I can’t help wondering if summer SAD and night owlery are connected?
October 23rd, 2009 at 12:32 pm
My best time of day rotates… for most of my life, it’s been morning, but lately I’ve had bouts of afternoon and evening work working best.
As for summer/winter? I hadn’t thought about it much, but it’s definitely harder for me to buckle down and work during the summer. Maybe it’s the heat (I hate being hot and sweaty too!) or maybe it’s just the lingering feeling that summer should mean vacation and now that I’m grown up, it doesn’t.
October 23rd, 2009 at 12:50 pm
I have regular SAD. I didn’t when I was younger, but I developed it while I was in Wisconsin and it stayed with me even when I moved back south a ways (and eventually I’m hoping to move even further south so I basically won’t have to deal with winter at all). I love the heat and hate the cold–I’ve been known to wear sweatshirts in 75+ degree weather. I also find it impossible to “wake up” without a lot of sunlight, whether it’s because it’s raining or cloudy or just that kind of gray winter sky. Yeesh.
This all gets worse because I can’t sleep if I’m at all cold, so the sleep I get during the colder months is usually lower-quality and it’s almost impossible for me to wake up feeling refreshed. Plus I can’t breathe cold air very well (gives me a horrible cough even when I’m not sick) and I have mobility issues in the snow. I was clearly just not built for winter, lol.
My best time of day is usually right after I wake up, although given my weird sleep schedule that doesn’t always translate to “morning.” Sometimes I’ll get a second wind late at night, but that’s much less likely to happen these days now that the sun is setting earlier, unfortunately.
October 23rd, 2009 at 12:58 pm
I’m definitely fall/winter writer and dark rainy days are the best. Things slow down in the winter and I always become more reflective.
I write in the evenings, because of my job, but on weekends, I love my Sunday morning edit time. The world moves in a hush on Sunday mornings for some reason.
Thank you for the post!
Teresa
October 23rd, 2009 at 5:59 pm
I am definitely not a morning person, and I prefer spring to all the other seasons. Don’t like the heat, but like the cold even less. Think that’s why I like spring, because the temperatures are pretty moderate and I feel motivated for some reason. Maybe it’s because I’m so happy that winter is finally over? *L*
October 23rd, 2009 at 6:49 pm
Nighttime and autumn/winter writer here.
I have always done my best writing by night (though I can write at other times as well). Initially, I mainly wrote by night, because that was the time when I was least likely to be disturbed by family members, etc… But even though I can and do write during daytime, I generally have my best ideas and writing streaks by night.
I’m a die-hard autumn/winter person and generally feel my creativity and energy levels shooting right up when the weather gets cooler and the days get shorter in September. I even have tangible proof, since my wordcount is generally higher in the fall/winter months than in the summer months. The energy boost hasn’t been as intense as usual this year, probably because I’ve been depressed, but I still got some of it.
October 23rd, 2009 at 7:00 pm
I’m useless in the summer – too hot, too light. I live in Victoria BC so rain and overcast skies are my natural element. I feel like I’m a poorly tuned radio during the summer.
I get my best inspiration in the morning, especially on overcast days. Whenever I can I walk to my office through the downtown and often get ideas flowing.
I write whenever I can fit it in, being a single mom with a day job, I even pack a notebook and jot stuff down on the bus. I tend to be a daytime writer but have been known to drag myself from bed at night to scribble down something that just will not wait.
October 23rd, 2009 at 9:23 pm
For me, it only has to do with how much time I have, and where I’m writing. If I have five hours, or I plan to stay up late then it’s no problem. If I’ve only got one or two, then I won’t. For some reason I only do time consuming things when I have way more time than I need for them.
I also designate a spot where it feels ‘right’ to write. It’s like in my mind when I visualize a scene, it’s always from a certain camera angle. Some feel comfortable in my mind, and some are just awkward. It feels that way with where I write. I used to write in my room, but then my (Windows 98) laptop died last year and I was forced to use the upstairs or downstairs computer. I’m pretty comfortable with both, but if it’s more ah, sensitive matter then I write downstairs (as I still live with my parents).
And then of course, when I’m inspired it doesn’t matter where.
~Xia.
October 24th, 2009 at 7:23 am
I’m a winter writer. I want to be outside playing in the summer. Of course, there’s no fricking summer worth mentioning in Ireland, and nowhere much good where I’m living to play. :p
October 26th, 2009 at 10:36 am
I don’t vary by season, but when it comes to time…. I’m a night-writer. Unfortunately for my health I’m an extreme night-writer, where all my best stuff happens after midnight.
my muse informs me that this is what happens when said muse is a 150 yr old vampire. And then proceeded to give me a classic “duh” look. So we deal.
October 26th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
I don’t know about seasons or writing, but I’ve noticed a two-year pattern in my painting… I’ll get a nice body of work done, then think “I want to do something completely different WHEEE!’ and piddle around for the next 12-18 months figuring it out. Lots of starts and stops, research, smaller paintings and medium sized paintings that never come together. Then at some point the gears finally catch and the solid paintings come all at once, in about 6 months of work. The 18 months between those productive 6 months are not really all that much fun.
October 26th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
I was born and bred in SoCal and frankly we don’t really have seasons. I’ve seen some summers where we got more rain than the winters that bracketed it. I’ve seen 2″ on snow at 2000 feet. I’ve lived through days where the fog didn’t go away until 2 in the afternoon only to return at 3:30 and I’ve worked through 120 degree temps in the heart of summer. I can do without the extremes but there isn’t much difference between summer/winter/fall/spring. I guess I do sort of hate it when the time changes but thats really the only thing that tells us the seasons have changed. Today it was 90 degree, tomorrow it’s supposed to be 75 and by this weekend it’ll be back into the 80’s. Sun, scattered clouds and wind are all in the 5 day forcast. It’s bizarre.
As to writing times…I write whenever I can be it morning, noon or night…..or all three. I’ll just kick back on the bed, put the laptop on my lap and go to town until I hit 2000ish words.
November 6th, 2009 at 10:10 am
I’m only a morning person in the sense that I like to stay up to all hours of the early morning. My best work happens when the rest of the activity around me is a dull fizzle.
I don’t have a seasonality, that I’ve noticed. Colorado weather is so disassociative identity disorder, my writing would be too up and down if I was that affected by the weather.