Why Summer Is Great For Writers

The days are long, the heat outside  oppressive, and the beach a bit too crowded. Whether you’re just starting out, or have a drawer full of manuscripts, this summer is a great time to write something.

The days are long
You can write in the morning. You can write in the afternoon. You can write in the evening Daylight is on your side. Forget about clouds, forget about rain, forget about lamps and computers. Grab a pen and a piece of paper, find a place by the window, and dream awake. There are worse ways to pass the time.

The heat is oppressive
Dog days – what better excuse do you need to sit in the shade and write? Try to venture out and you will melt. Do you really want to get stuck in traffic on your way to the swimming pool? Go anywhere without leaving your home – just write.

The morning light inspires
There’s something about that warm infusion of sunlight on summer mornings that puts you in a good mood. It makes you want to do something special. It inspires you. You feel like you can do anything, if you put your mind to it. Don’t waste that morning greatness. Write.

Summer nights are wonderful
The heat recedes, the leaves begin to swish, a cool breeze hurries by. Anyone who’s heard the crickets on a June midnight and seen the moon glow through the branches knows what I am talking about. Summer nights are great for staying awake until late and writing your sleep away. If you have to work during the day, you can write at night this summer – you really have no excuse not to write (other than perhaps your lover).

Writing is better than going to the beach

Okay, the beach isn’t too bad. There’s the warm sand under your feet, the exuberance of the sun, the cool splash of the water when you plunge into the sea, the partly-naked members of the opposite sex gracing the air around you.

But when you write you can go beyond the place where the sea is off-limits, you can plunge into the deep without the fear of drowning. Swim, swim away… Colorful fish keep you company. Flaming algae tickle you as you go. Mermaids swirl around you, playing their harps.

Through the unfolding depths the city in the sea beckons to you. You’ll find there anything you can imagine. And you don’t even have to worry about breathing.

You can get away with it

Summer is the season when you can get away with pretty much anything. Even writing. You can write all day and anyone will understand – after all, it’s summer, you’re on vacation, you’re “taking it easy”. Stay inside and play video games and they’ll think you’re a loser. Stay inside and write, and they’ll think you’re cool. And you are.

If you don’t feel like going anywhere this summer, writing the dog days away is the perfect excuse to stay inside. And even if you travel, there’s room in your backpack for writing.

What will you write this summer?