How to Not Write This Summer (A Love Letter)
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Hi lovies,
It’s summertime.
Okay, technically the solstice is a few weeks away, but now, in early June, all signs point to summer. And I don’t know about you but sunny days, vacation plans, and kids about to be home from school all day make me…they make me…okay I’ll say it…they make not want to write.
No wait, that’s not quite right.
It’s not that I don’t want to write. I always want to write. And I always most days do write. It’s just that there are so many other things to do in the summer than write. Like lie on the grass in the park and look up at the trees. Sit on a sandy beach and watch the waves roll in and out.1 Take Chip the pug for a long walk in the cool morning before it gets too hot for him. (Pugs with their smooshy faces are prone to breathing problems.) Hang out with the grandkids. Have a picnic.
Just, you know, relax.
Which maybe is something we writers aren’t so good at?
There’s often a drumbeat in my head asking me, “Why aren’t you writing?” Most of the time this mantra happens because I’m excited about writing, eager to get to it. But it can also infuse me with guilt if I’m not getting to the page regularly. And if I’m in a slump, it can fill me with despair. I want to answer, “I’m not writing because I don’t know what the f%$k to write so leave me alone already!”
Which does not inspire relaxation, BTW.
When summer comes, there’s a new drumbeat. It goes something like this: “It’s a really nice day today. Let’s just ditch this writing thing, okay? Taking a day off is not going to kill you now, is it?”
And the answer is of course it won’t. But the problem is that in summer one day off too easily begets another and another and another.
Writerly conflict ensues. Not only because of the guilt, but because I don’t feel like myself when I’m not writing. I’m edgy and cranky and everything feels wrong.
If any of the above rings true to you, I have two words for you (and myself): lighten up.
It’s summertime and we deserve to enjoy it, especially in this shitstorm of a year. But maybe there’s another way to look at it. Maybe we can think about finding a balance.
My lovely friend and client Jacqueline is doing a “Summer of Exploratory Writing.” She’s got one novel on submission, and is actively working on another many others. But at the moment she wants more ease in her life. (Did I mention it was summertime?) And so she’s stepping away from goals and shoulds and must-dos and letting herself write whatever she wants and relax and have fun. I think this is an excellent idea. She can keep writing without any pressure and relax and enjoy the season.
I, on the other hand, am fired up. I’ve got ideas and plans and work on my current WIP is going great. I blame it on London. That city is so vibrant and alive and energizing and I loved it all when I was there last month. It sent me home raring to go and full of enthusiasm for this job of writing.
But you do you. Maybe that will look like letting it all go for a while, taking the summer off. Maybe it’s adopting Jacqueline’s lovely idea. Maybe it’s starting the engines and going all out. Whatever it is, it’s okay.But make sure you choose. Make it intentional. If you want to take it easy, slack to your heart’s content without feeling guilty. Your writing will be there waiting for you.2
And that’s the great thing about writing, isn’t it? Always there waiting for you, like a best friend.
Love, light, and good writing,
Charlotte
P.S. What are your summer plans?
P.P.S. Last summer, I wrote a post about things to do in the summertime that aren’t writing. It’s been one of my most popular. Read it here.
Articles and Resources
I’ve got a great collection for you this week:
First of all, Camille Pagan is running her Bestseller Boot Camp again this summer. I’ve coached with her a lot, because she’s great, and this series was my all-time favorite. I highly recommend it.
The hidden purpose of escapist fiction. (Spoiler alert: its aspirational.) Excellent article from Donald Maass.
And for a similar yet different take, read my post on Pleasure Points.
Take your work seriously.
Why the stories you write are boring.
Constraints for your writing will set you free. My post from earlier this week.
Books
I got this wild tear of an idea yesterday, which was that I’d start studying bestsellers in my wheelhouse (women’s fiction and romance or whatever we’re calling those genres now) to see how they are put together. Do they use past or present tense? First, third, or multiple viewpoints? (I refuse to consider omniscient on moral grounds that I hate it.) How are their characters developed? How is plot approached? We’ll see how this goes, I may get bored and ditch it, but it may develop into something I can share here. As in a read-along or some such thing. Related: I read this post last week and was fascinated. Anyway, all that is my excuse for buying the following book on its release day:
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Amazon Bookshop I have mixed feelings about Taylor. I like her books, but often I don’t love them. So I’m curious why she’s so wildly popular. And hey, any excuse to buy a book, right? Right. I shall report.
Others on my radar:
Great Big Beautiful Life, by Emily Henry Amazon Bookshop (which I have but have not read. Read it and loved it, would love to go back through and see how she does it.
The Wedding People, by Alison Espach Bookshop Amazon Read it and loved it, would love to go back through and see how she does it.
My Friends by Frederik Backman. Bookshop Amazon. I’m up and down with him, but mostly up so we’ll see.
More soon.
Workshop in France.
Our sojourn in England has come and gone, alas. But there’s still France coming up! We may not speak their language but as long as you give it a whirl (Bon jour is easy to say) you’ll be fine. Find out more on our France page. And seriously, give it a ponder. We’d love to have you accompany us for either workshop.
And if you want a taste of the adventure that awaits with our overseas workshops, you can read my posts about this year here, and here, here, here, and here.
Other places to connect with me:
My website (badly in need of an upgrade)
Our workshop website
My original blog (now for archive purposes only, no longer updated, but damn there are a lot of articles on it).
See you next week!
My beloved Aunt Dodo lived in the Seattle area and all her adult life longed to retire to the Oregon Coast, where her family and my family had enjoyed many vacations together. She and Uncle Marvin bought a house with a view of the ocean where we all loved to congregate. After a few years, they bailed, because, she told me, “It' gets awfully boring watching the waves go in and out over and over again.” Which was, to my ears, blasphemy.
I tend to natter on about how important it is to get your voice out in the world, because the world needs your voice, yadda yadda yadda. And this is indeed true. But your writing is also not a fire that has to be put out ASAP or a tumor that needs to be removed or a baby who needs his poopy diaper changed. So it can wait. If you can.
Read, enjoyed, and shared on social media...as always! I do not like the summer. Too hot and humid, down here in the South. I'm a fall and winter person. Since I'd rather not be outside in the summer, I don't have the temptations that could prevent me from writing. But I agree with you, that we do need a break, and we need to take time to go out into the world and experience life, so we will have experiences to write about! :-). Write on, my friend!
OMG. This post so good I took notes. That cycle of taking action and stepping back (in writing and life) has always been tough for me. I'm great on the action part and not so much on the letting things percolate part. But, more and more the wisdom of that balance reveals itself to me. Yes, I've got a novel out on query that I thought was ready. And also yes, taking a breather has brought me to the decision that I'd like to go deeper--do a mini R&R. A small part of me wishes I'd waited to query. But I didn't. I've got a full under consideration which is awesome. If (fingers crossed) the agent is interested, I can share my ideas with them. And meanwhile, I'll go ahead and do the work. Oh, and I'm with you on Aunt Dodo. My aspiration is to live as close to the beach as possible. I have lived with great views of the ocean on a couple of occasions and I NEVER got bored. ~ J.