Scenes of summer: slower mornings, iced coffee on the patio, lots of sunshine, the sound of kids home from school. Summer has its own rhythm.
If you’ve been diligently working on a writing project, summer has a way of disrupting routines. Yet summer is still a great time for writing. You just need to adjust your pace and expectations.
Summer is a time for slower, lighter writing. Inspiration can arrive from new directions with surprising creativity. Give yourself permission to embrace a summer rhythm of writing.
The Beauty of a Slower Rhythm
Writing time often feels slower in summer. If your house and yard are filled with kids, you may feel that your writing project is crawling at a snail’s pace. You’ve got too much else going on.
If your kids have flown the nest, and you’re not running summer day camp for the grands, you’ll still feel like things are slower. Warmer weather and outdoor activity can make you feel sleepy when you sit down to write.
Writing may slow down when the pool or the beach beckons. You just want to stretch your toes in the sand, or stare at those beautiful orchard trees, or listen to the rippling rhythm of the creek.
That’s okay! Enjoying summer to the fullest doesn’t mean you won’t have wonderful moments of writing. You don’t need to feel guilty for writing less often. Just embrace the slower pace.
When summer beauty surrounds you, it stirs your creativity. Your pen may feel sluggish on paper, but the summer sun is growing you as a writer. When you do sit down to write, you’ll feel refreshed, inspired, creative in new ways. It’s part of the summer rhythm.
Being present and soaking in the season gives you momentum as a writer. Creative rest brings inspiration. It’s a wonderful feeling to discover how the creativity of writing is just as refreshing as other summer joys.
Write with a summer rhythm and make the most of the season. Discover a fresh approach to your writing. Those refreshing writing moments will become part of your enjoyable summer memories.
Simpler Summer Writing
Summer is a great time for lighter pieces of writing that still move your story forward. Whether you’re writing a book or a series of blog posts, try some lighter summer writing.
Focus on writing short scenes, descriptions of settings, snippets of dialogue. Brainstorm ideas. Write in different formats: a short letter about your story, a journal entry to capture a moment in your story. See your writing project through a different lens and flow with your creativity.
Try writing a 360-degree tour of a place related to your story. If you’re writing about childhood memories, pick a spot in the town square as if you were giving someone a 360-degree tour: “This is where I bought my first grownup shoes.” “That’s where we ate ice cream in summer.” “Over there was my grandpa’s shop.”
Those lighter pieces you write will tap into new creativity, sharpen your writing skills, and move your story forward. But they are easier to fit into a summer rhythm. And they will allow you some refreshing writing fun along the way.
Road Trip Writing
I recently took a one-day road trip with a friend. While she was in a class, I grabbed an iced coffee and wandered to a shade tree in a beautiful park. I opened my blog app on my phone and wrote a quick, fun post. Sitting out in nature in a place I’d never been before was inspiring.
What a great summer day! A wonderful road trip, the joy of a friend’s company, new scenery, and some creative writing fun. Another friend who follows that blog said it was her favorite post. I think the inspirational location, relaxing pace, and iced coffee had a lot to do with it. That’s the summer writing rhythm.
Simple Summer Ways to Keep Writing
If you embrace the summer rhythm as a writer, your creative inspiration will continue to grow. Summer is a great time to try simple, low-key writing exercises. These can help your writing project in meaningful ways, but they are light enough to jot down poolside on a napkin, or talk into your phone recorder while sitting at the lakeshore.
Take a relaxing summer breath and look at the following ideas. Or come up with some ideas of your own. See what they inspire you to write. Don’t think about an audience, or word count, or how it fits into your story. Don’t worry how far you will get. Just start to write and enjoy some creative refreshment.
- Describe a fun summer day in childhood. Doesn’t have to be a special occasion. An ordinary day will do.
- Write about a relaxing summer memory that sticks with you.
- Describe a summer scene using all five senses. Ideally, go out and sit in that scene and write what you feel. If you can’t get away, imagination or photos work too.
- Brainstorm 10 summer-related moments you might want to use in your book.
- Write a letter to your future reader about why you’re writing your project.
Keep it light, and write at a relaxing pace. Let summer joy flow through your pen.
Don’t be surprised if other summer memories or ideas come up unexpectedly. Jot them down or record them. You can expand on them later.
Every Bit Counts
Summer is a season for rest, play, relaxation, inspiration, and a lighter, slower pace of writing. Whether you capture words at a park bench, at the beach, or with an iced coffee at a patio cafe, every word counts.
Enjoy the summer season and the bits of writing that fit into it. Embrace your summer writing rhythm and celebrate your progress. Writing isn’t a race. It’s a wonderful journey.
Janet Eriksson 