Summer Doesn't Slow Creativity Unless You Let It
Summer may be hotter than the devil's Scotch Bonnet sauce but there are so many reasons to still pick up the laptop, or the notebook and write something down!
New ideas are hiding in gardens buzzing with bees, whispering in train stations packed with profusely-sweaty holidaymakers, dripping ice cream cones, thunderstorms rolling in after weeks of blue skies, and cute conversations between couples, overheard through open windows.
Our job isn't to trap ourselves indoors waiting for inspiration to knock politely, it's to throw open the doors, dance across the grass and make damn sure we bump into it.
Find a bench, a beach, a shady tree or a crammed café if you can stand it.
Watch the world my friends, and listen carefully.
Your next story could well be walking past in sunglasses, carrying a melting ice cream, completely unaware that it's about to become the opening chapter of something wonderful.
Summer Is Full of Sweet, Tiny Stories
Not every piece of writing needs to be epic and trust me I know this from the bottom of my scribbly little heart. I used to write on twelve-hour bus journeys across South America, or yank out my notebook in a yoga class in Bali to make a note of the sound of someone's monkey-like moan before I forgot it.
Some of the best writing starts with something boringly ordinary, especially in summer, when all you want to do is NOT look at a laptop
Like a melting ice lolly for example. There's inspiation in that... just look at the way it dribbles to the floor and leaves a rainbow pool on the ground for a passing dog to enjoy!
Or the smell of coconut sun cream that instantly transports you back to childhood holidays when everything was less expensive and you were decidedly more carefree.
The annual rediscovery that shorts from last summer somehow no longer fit... like... how does that sneak up on us?
These tiny moments carry a whote lotta emotional weight to readers as well as us writers, because they're shared experiences. They're so relatable, and people recognise themselves in who they're reading.
Five Summer Writing Prompts
If your creative well feels a little dry now that the summer heat is on and you feel like writing something, try one of these:
- Write about the hottest day you can remember without mentioning the word hot.
- Describe a summer evening entirely through sounds.
- Invent a character who refuses to leave the shade and explain why.
- Rewrite a childhood summer memory from an adult perspective.
- Imagine the sun has decided to take a day off.
These should help you discover some lovely angles that don't fall back on familiar clichés, and leave your words as fresh as your armpits after a swipe of Dove.
Happy scribbling, summer lovers!