If you're a British citizen like myself you'll know the problems the country has when faced with bad weather. In fact, I think it's likely we're the laughing-stock of the whole Northern hemisphere when it comes to dealing with snow. It doesn't take much to ground the entire country to a holt. But over the pond our American and Canadian friends bumble around quite easily - or so it seems to us - in ten foot of the stuff.
It's snowing again today, and while looking out of the window in my nice comfortable lounge, it gave me the inspiration to write this blog post.
In weather like this I like nothing better than to count my blessings that I don't have to go outside. I make myself a mug of Cadbury's hot chocolate, settle down under my blanket and curl up to write.
I suppose the majority of people hate going out when it's snowing or raining, or even blowing a gale, but does the weather really control our activities that much?
Some people suffer from the SAD sydrome - or Seasonal Affective Disorder. It is quite common for people to be depressed during the winter months and want nothing more than to hibernate away. And when the summer arrives they're the happiest people on earth.
But it seems to work the opposite for me. I seem to be happiest in the winter months. I love to spend the dark afternoons writing, tucked up under blankets with the fire on. And when the summer comes I'm often too hot to even think, let alone write. There seems to be more going on during the summer months so that distracts me away from my writing.
So, how much does the weather affect your writing? Do you write less or more during the winter months? Or do you write the same amount each day no matter what the weather is doing?
I tend to write more in rainy or snowy weather. Cooler temps seem to get my brain and imagination on fire. During warm and hot times, I don't feel as much like sitting and working on my computer. But I take advantage of those times to get out and explore. See if I can get inspiration from new settings, going places, seeing what's out there and if anything gives me new ideas.
ReplyDeleteThere's a line in 'Love in the Time of Cholera' which says, 'It was raining too hard to think.' Oh how I know what that's like!
ReplyDeleteHi Allan, you do sound an awful lot like me. Thanks for commenting.
ReplyDeleteJo, if I remember correctly you live in Southern England, a place where it seems to rain more than Northern England!
Definitely! As you say we are rather pathetic at dealing with what the weather throws at us in the UK - you think we would have learned by now!
ReplyDeleteGrey days seem to make me more reflective whilst the sunny ones make me more poetic, so it all works out somewhere :o)
We do, indeed, have plenty of rain in the south - and I experienced a cyclone when I was in Nepal, and have never known rain like that, even in Wiltshire!
ReplyDeleteMy husband is one of those people who gets depressed without sunshine - But I'm with you, I love a darker day that invites to snuggle and get some ideas going...
ReplyDeleteDoing something you like while protected from the elements can be a good feeling. It can also make one appreciative of what they have.
ReplyDeleteFortunately, I live in an area with a beautiful climate, Santa Cruz, Ca., so bad weather does not really affect my writing one way or another. However when summer arrives I get the itch to be traveling in our motorhome. I have found that writing and traveling are not mutually exclusive, much to the delight of my spouse. The only time I appreciate bad weather is when I am under a deadline or close to finishing a novel, as it tends to focus me on the task at hand.
ReplyDeleteWilliam Inman
AUTHOR "The Wolf's Lair Conspiracy" series