How many of you all notice a difference in your writing habits with the changing of the seasons? So many times we see examples and hear stories of authors who love to go out in the woods with a notebook or sit on the porch with a nice glass of tea or lemonade and write to their heart’s content in the spring and summer. On the other hand there is also the old adage of the mysterious writer bundling himself up inside during a “dark and stormy night” or while the snow pours from the sky in the winter, all the while slowly slipping into a state of lessening sanity. I paint a great picture of my profession, don’t I? But anyway, speaking from experience the weather can definitely have an adverse effect on the writer’s mind in many ways.

When it comes to spring and summer I love the feeling of going outside and sitting in various places, be it the porch or in the middle of the forest, and writing away. The ideas really flow for me when I feel close and involved in all kinds of nature, particularly storms. I have actually been writing during a storm and felt such powerful inspiration that it allowed me to see the full development of the universe I was currently creating.

Snow, for me, is a bit different. When it’s snowing outside I do tend to feel a bit creative at times, but I also occasionally get the sensation of hitting a brick wall whenever I try to write. Personally, I find the sunnier, warmer months better for my writing because I feel have more chance to get out and interact with nature in a way that allows me to bring my writing with me. When it comes to the cold winter  months I feel unable to go outside and enjoy my writing because either it’s too cold or the snow is blowing in on the porch too much for me to be able to actually go out and be productive. This is obviously a problem! But at the same time, looking outside of my office window and seeing the snow pile up on the world can still put me in the mood to write a story like no other. As a matter of fact the “snowpocalypse of 2015” in my area, which left my town under 41 inches of snow and a few inches of ice, inspired a few stories that dealt with people dealing with a frozen world that was nearly uninhabitable, which brings up the topic of how your surroundings can affect your work. I think that will be my next post.

But the point of this post remains; the weather can be a very big inspiration to artists of all sorts. Of course, painters can’t go outside in the pouring rain anymore than writers, we can look at the world in whatever way we can to glean the inspiration that is there. So which seasons are better for your work? Do you, like me, find yourselves feeling much more productive when you can feel the sun on your skin and the warm weather on your face, or do you prefer to feel the frigid touch of winter as you produce your masterpieces? Leave your answers below, and feel free to request any topics that may interest you and ask any questions you may have. Subscribe and share this blog with anyone who may find it helpful or interesting!