The Chill Is On
Is it winter where you are? Cold, dark, inhospitable? If so, we feel you!
Of course, there are places much colder and darker than Albuquerque, New Mexico, but this winter we’ve had our fair share of snow, record cold temperatures, and cloudy days (and Albuquerque typically claims 300 sunny days per year, but I’d say we’ve already experienced most of our dreary days already!). Many of you in the U.S. probably experienced the bitter cold of the Polar Vortex, too
Why Not Write?
There are lots of things people can do to stave off the seasonal affective disorder, but we have a particular pastime that can help whisk us away from the winter doldrums: writing! Yes, you could also just sit and watch whatever’s on Netflix for hours, but writing can have the same power to transport us elsewhere, and when we’re done, we have actually done something, created something besides a new dent in the sofa cushions.
Setting Is Key
Maybe you’re writing a memoir that takes place in the same exact spot and season you find yourself in, but more likely than not, you’re working on something a little different than what’s right in front of you in the here and now. Write about a tropical vacation you took. Or have two characters’ meet take place on a spring afternoon dotted with daisies. Maybe you’re writing about people in outer space (Sure, space probably isn’t balmy, but at least there isn’t any snow to shovel!). The point is, if you think about a different place and time (and temperature), and get in that magical writing zone where everything else falls away, it’s easy to forget that old man winter is raging outside.
Slip on a New Character
Another way to lose yourself in your work is to get inside someone else’s head. Write a persona poem from the perspective of an elf who lives in a humid jungle (hey, I don’t know–you come up with the ideas!), or begin a novel about a Russian princess navigating court in the summer (I think they have summer there, right?). The point is, if you’re busy imagining yourself as someone else, you’re too busy to think about the weather forecast or your limping water heater.
So, our recommendation this week is to make yourself a hot cup of tea, put on a fuzzy robe or sweater, and sink into a juicy writing project to help you work your way towards spring.
Happy writing, friends!