Maybe it’s the kid in me, but summer is still my favorite season. There’s so much about summer that we can lose sight of the rest of the year:
The pull to slow down a little, breathe in the sweet scents of fresh-cut grass, tip our faces to the warm sun or the starlit sky.
Those moments hold important reminders to carry with us all year through—in life and on the page.
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Don’t let a little rain ruin your plans.
If the weather doesn’t cooperate, don’t be quick to cancel or reschedule—whether it’s a picnic or a plot point. Consider that day you spent playing in the rain could end up being much more memorable than what you originally had planned.
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Be spontaneous.
You arrived at the playground with your kids, only to find the park filled for a free concert? Stay! Took your dog for a walk only to have a neighbor wave you over to their cookout? Go! Sometimes the best stories come when you’re not even looking for them—but you’ll never know if you’re not open to the moment when it comes.
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Enjoying summer hours does not mean you’re lazy.
Feel like no one around you seems to be working much these days? Taking long lunches, vacations, cutting out early? Maybe that’s okay. Maybe you deserve a break too. You do need to refill that creative well if you don’t want it to run dry sooner or later.
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You’re never too old to learn to swim.
I was moved by a friend who urged her kids through swim lessons so that they won’t have the same struggles she does now as an adult who never learned to swim. She doesn’t want them to avoid beautiful, alluring things that she finds absolutely terrifying: boats, pools, lakes.
But it had never occurred to her that it wasn’t too late for her to also learn, right alongside them. She felt like she’d missed her chance: A lost cause. Even though she may very well still have decades of summers ahead of her.
Too many would-be writers feel this fear, wishing they’d enrolled in creative writing classes when they were younger, or wishing they’d had the courage to try something outside their genre. To which I say: You still can. You can start right now.
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Don’t sweat it when things get hot!
When you’re writing a manuscript and you start feeling the heat—whether it’s the muddle in the middle, the revelation of a plot hole, or the pressure of a deadline—remember this is a normal part of the process, just as every year has its seasons. You have the tools at your disposal to get through it! Find your way back to a quiet spot in the shade, or crank up the AC, or take a dip in the pool. Better yet: Try to enjoy the heat, remembering how nice it will sound when the cold winter arrives.
What have you done this summer that holds a lesson for your creative side? Visit Career Authors on Facebook to join our discussion.