Summer Writing … or Not
We plan all those long, sunny, endless days for writing. We see that Writer’s Digest ad (its been running in their mag for years!) of the woman sitting on the shore in the sand, notebook in hand, gazing out to the ocean. We envision Labor Day with our finished novel on a ream paper and in our hands.
Yeah, right.
Then come the friends who take their vacation to your area and that you really want to see. The hordes of family come to visit who you also may (or may not!) want to see. Not to mention your own vacation that you’ve planned. And, oh yeah, the various organizations you work or volunteer with have their social functions in the summer sun. Throw in a writer’s conference—great fun and inspiration but not time to actually write while there. Plus, gosh, the beach is calling like a siren’s call and the wildflower strewn mountainsides beckon and …
Oh yeah, that book you planned to write? Every summer I have clients who tell me they will have their book ready by September for me to edit. Just a hint: usually it turns out to be only a few chapters. And, hey, that’s fine! Life should have its summers and we should be able to take advantage of the warm weather and busy-ness of the people in our lives during that season.
So, if you are like me (and, yes, I am writing a bundle of products just for fiction writers) and you haven’t gotten as far as you’d planned as we hit the midway point in summer (again like me), don’t sweat it! You WILL get it done. Everything takes more time than we planned (don’t you just hate that?). So give yourself a break emotionally from agonizing over this fact of summer life and allow these sunny days and their fun to fill your life.
Now I gotta go … I’m heading for the beach!
