Know Thyself: Writing Through the Dog Days
By Victoria Fortune
It’s that time of year again— the longer, gentler days, the chirping of birds, the scent of flowers and sunscreen wafting through the window, beckon me out into the sunshine. The slower days—free from the never-ending litany of meetings and appointments, practices and games, rehearsals and performances that devour every spare moment of the school year—provide the perfect time to make headway on writing projects, if only I can resist the siren song of summer. The trick is finding the right balance between work and play and remaining focused when the time comes for work.
My sister bloggers have written some excellent posts on staying focused over the summer holidays. In Rethink the Lazy Days of Summer, Liz Solar offers motivation to keep writing through lazy summer days. If reading is your best source of inspiration, Kim McNamara provides some guidance on selecting good summer reads in What’s In Your Beach Bag? #Whatchareading.
If you benefit from structure, Nancy Sackheim’s post, Balanced or Balancing relates one determined writer’s summer schedule. For those who can adhere to a strict regimen for an extended period of time, it’s a good model. I might be able to manage it if I could adopt the fierce attitude of Sarah L., a blogger at writershq.co.uk, in her post “7 Ways to Keep Writing Over the Summer Holidays.” Writer Jackie Cangro offers a milder approach in “Five Tips to Keep Writing This Summer.”)
I’ve written in the past about the importance of sticking to routines. However, I’ve discovered that I’m not great about maintaining the same rigid, self-imposed routine for very long. I do better with external deadlines that compel me to write whenever and wherever I can. Last June, determined to keep up my momentum during the dog days, I decided to join Camp NaNoWriMo. (For more information about this resource, see author and guest blogger Diane Barnes’s excellent post: “Why National Novel Writing Month Works for Me.”) Intending to make the most of camp, I wrote “Be Prepared!” Alas, family matters threw a wrench in my well laid plans, preventing me from taking part. This summer, I’m clearing the decks to dive in.
But camp is not for everyone. Writershq.co.uk also offers free online writing courses. If you prefer setting your own deadlines, award-winning poet and musician Chris Robley offers some advice in A Writer’s Timeline – Tips for Setting Deadlines. No other writer’s approach will work perfectly for you, so read widely, seek all the advice you can find, but above all, “Know thyself,” as the adage goes, and plan accordingly.
Photo credit: Free photo 5994636 © Gualberto Becerra - Dreamstime.com
