The Seasons of Writing
Ecclesiastes 3:1 states, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” (NIV)
The New Zealand
winter surrounds me and I’ve had my first snow play time this year. It was great fun as some of the family came with us and we introduced our little granddaughter to this cold white stuff! It reminded
me of an article I wrote years ago about the seasons of writing and how there is good in all of them. I pulled it
out of the archives, dusted it off and here’s the updated version!
Spring Writing
This is the season of writing where new ideas are birthed, new projects are conceived and stories begin to grow and develop. It’s a time of freshness, hope and inspiration. Thoughts are nurtured in our hearts and enthusiasm and vision abound.
Summer Writing
As spring gives way to summer, ideas mature and blossom and stories are captured on paper. Story lines grow and strengthen and life pours through the words we write. We wish we had extra hours in our day to keep up with the inspiration.
This is the season of writing where new ideas are birthed, new projects are conceived and stories begin to grow and develop. It’s a time of freshness, hope and inspiration. Thoughts are nurtured in our hearts and enthusiasm and vision abound.
Summer Writing
As spring gives way to summer, ideas mature and blossom and stories are captured on paper. Story lines grow and strengthen and life pours through the words we write. We wish we had extra hours in our day to keep up with the inspiration.
Autumn Writing
This is the time of harvest, when fruits mature and stories are sent forth to touch lives. Projects that once brought us excitement may lose their appeal and there is a sense of ageing and finality as winter approaches.
Winter Writing
Winter often feels like a time of waiting. Everything appears stiff and cold and there is little life or inspiration. Nature is resting and words won’t come. Everything we write feels pointless and dry ... and then the first signs of spring appear and the cycle begins again.
This is the time of harvest, when fruits mature and stories are sent forth to touch lives. Projects that once brought us excitement may lose their appeal and there is a sense of ageing and finality as winter approaches.
Winter Writing
Winter often feels like a time of waiting. Everything appears stiff and cold and there is little life or inspiration. Nature is resting and words won’t come. Everything we write feels pointless and dry ... and then the first signs of spring appear and the cycle begins again.
Unlike the natural seasons, writing seasons may differ in length and intensity. From personal experience, I’ve found I can be motivated and excited about one writing project while another lies dormant on my laptop. If I get stuck in a dry season, I tend to take time off and relax. I feed my soul with the Word of God, read inspiring books and indulge in creative activities ... and one day I’ll catch a hint of spring as the tendril of an idea pushes forth.
Hi Debbie, I do believe you're on to something, and that the seasons which surround us truly do impact where we are at with our creative projects. We do need to go with the flow and cut ourselves a bit of slack at certain times. Your winter adventure looks like a lot of fun :)
ReplyDeleteThat's a great way of looking at it, Debbie. It's good to know that when you're going through a dry season, spring is just around the corner.
ReplyDeleteI live in Toowoomba where we sometimes have four seasons in a day. My writing's like that, with lots of projects in various stages. I find the waiting periods the hardest. Always good to know that the difficult seasons eventually come to an end. Thanks for sharing :)
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ReplyDeleteThere is certainly a flow to writing that is mirrored in the seasons. I think my seasons are overlapping at the moment–there are new, spring-time ideas and I'm also in winter-waiting time. Lovely blog to contemplate. 😊