Saturday, February 21, 2009

The Edge of Season

My writing has lagged a little this week. It's that odd time of year when winter is holding on with sharp, biting cold claws while spring wears away at it with added minutes of daylight and the increased warmth in the afternoon sun. I'm anxious to be outside, cleaning out my flowerbeds, trimming back my raspberry bushes before they get completely out of control and raking up the last of the old brown leaves that escaped last fall.
I usually do my promotional work when I first get home from school and then do my writing after dinner. But now when I get home, the longer daylight hours call to me. One day I cleaned out the garage instead of promo. Another day I washed my car and cleaned windows I haven't touched since last fall.
Things may get worse before they get better. The first day of spring sports practice is only a week away. My daughter plays softball and my son runs track so I'll be busy being taxi to and from practice as well as being number one fan. And in two short weeks, daylight savings time begins. How will I stay at it when it's light out even longer?
Do the seasons distract you? What is your best writing season or are you steady throughout the year? I know the holiday season slows most people down, but what about other times of year? You would think as a school teacher and having my summer months off, I would get a lot of writing done during June, July and August, but the opposite is true. I love the outdoors and near rain or cold to keep me at my keyboard. My alpha smart helps because I can take it outside and to sporting events and get some writing done. Am I the only one distracted by the great outdoors?
It's dark and cold now, so I'm going back to my WIP. I have to get it done before that time change.

4 comments:

Rowena Cherry said...

This is my least favorite time of year for writing, although November never seems to suit me very well, either.

(Otherwise, I'd do better with NaNoWriMo!)

Now.... It's dark, it's cold, there's snow to shovel, there are contests to judge, contests to enter, taxes to prepare.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Tax time depresses everyone. It's so frustrating to see in hard numbers how much taxes we all actually pay. I'm trying to stay on course with my yearly goals. If we would get some sunshine, I might be tempted to ditch it all and go outside.

Ava Quinn said...

A little too early for me to tell. I've only been at this a little over a year. But last fall kicked my butt. Hardly made any forward progress. I have to say I'm REALLY looking forward to CPRW retreat!

Natalie J. Damschroder said...

I have times when it's hard to write, but they don't really correspond to time of year. Historically speaking, though, I kick a$$ for NaNo and can't write in December, and therefore also kick a$$ in January.

I have a window right next to my desk, so in the spring (and fall, too), I like nothing better than to open it, sit at my desk, and pour the words out.