Seasons in Writing by Allison Symes

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Do you have seasons in writing? I don’t write to a season but I do have periods where I produce lots of work and other times when it seems, by comparison, I am “fallow”. I’m not. I’m usually developing ideas for writing up later or am editing a project. Neither of those show up well in terms of being able to point to something produced or a word count achieved.

 


But it is all writing. It all counts. This is why I don’t set a daily word count target. I set tasks to do and, for the larger ones, break them up into sections. The advantage of doing this is I always feel like I’ve achieved something for the good reason I have and that in turn encourages me to be even more productive.

It also allows for those times when life inevitably gets in the way and you have to accept your writing plans are on hold for a bit. I take the view as long as I try to get something written during those times, that’s fine. 

 

If I can’t, then it’s just one of those times, I need to go with the flow, and I’ll resume writing again as soon as I can. 

(A good tip here:  if you are lacking time to write much, (a) use whatever time you’ve got to jot down future ideas and (b) read. If not much time for that, read short stories and flash collections. Reading is reading and it can all help you top up what I’ve referred to before as the great imaginative filing cabinet. Okay, hands up, I write flash and short stories so am not unbiased but the point about reading remains. I will often read collections in the shorter forms between novels so I mix up the type of book I read - and that I think is good practice anyway).

 

Often when I’ve completed a lot of work, I find naturally I then write (and read) shorter pieces. It is almost as if I need “refreshing” again ahead of reading the next big novel and/or writing the next major bit of work. 

(Oh and putting flash collections together is a major bit of work. As well as checking the individual stories, I want to make sure they’re grouped together well so a future reader has an enjoyable and sensible “flow” of stories. Themes are grouped together too. It’s great fun to do but time consuming - and in many ways it should be as I want to get this right).

 

So ups and downs in writing happen then. One moment you’re on a roll, the next moment all you seem to receive are setbacks. All part and parcel of the writing life of course but it’s tough sometimes and takes stamina and supportive writing friends to help get you through that. (Naturally this is where ACW comes in!).  

 

Seasons in writing need to be recognised for what they are. They are just seasons. Seasons pass - including the rotten ones. What is encouraging though is writers generally are so supportive of each other and I know I appreciate the support I receive. So let’s face those seasons together. Writing does so much for us whether we write stories or non-fiction or both. It stretches us. It hopefully entertains and/or informs our readers and is so worth doing for that alone.


Comments

  1. I definitely have seasons in writing. It doesn't follow a four season pattern like the weather but it's more like a rollercoaster with varying sized drops and rises. Right now I'm waiting for lots of finished or partially finished projects to find a home so it's a bit like waiting at the top of a very scary drop!!

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    1. It took me a while to realise that having slower times was not necessarily a bad thing. You need time to recover from intensive periods of work AND time to develop new ideas. Good luck with the projects, Katherine.

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  2. This is a great piece, Alison.I amat present reading through and meditating on Any Boucher Pye's forthcoming book on prayer and finding it really helpful for season of prayer and questioning I'm currently in.

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  3. I often think 'This too shall pass' when I'm having a 'season' (otherwise known as a slump). It worked when I had toddlers who wouldn't sleep or classes who wouldn't behave and it can work for a writer, too!

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    1. There is a story about an old guy who when asked what his favourite Bible verse said "and it came to pass". When asked why that verse, he said it was because the Bible never said it came to stay! Onwards and upwards, writing and all!

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  4. I can simply barely write during this pandemic. And knowing that it is because fear is making it worse. I'm an armchair survivalist and even I can see how this paralysing fear is 'Not What is Supposed to be Happening'. It is not a good season for me.

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    1. Sorry to hear that, Nick. I hope it passes soon (though well done on "barely" writing as you are getting something down). The funny thing during the pandemic was I could write. I felt I had to but what I couldn't do was read. It was as if my creative mind was saying you can do one thing, Madam, but you're not doing more than that. The reading, thankfully, is back now but that I did find disconcerting.

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  5. The winter season is when life bombards us with snowballs. You’ve reminded me that this can offer a bit of time to stare at the fire and do a bit of mind wandering, er, I mean creative thinking, of course.

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    1. I'm all for time out for creative thinking, Veronica. It is never wasted time. I've generated good story ideas doing that.

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  6. Cheer up people - writing is neither a commandment 'thou shalt write!' nor a horrible chore 'write or punishment follows!' - joking, but somehow, am I wrong, or does it kind of look a bit as if we feel we've been not 'called' but 'compelled'... NOT a criticism of Allison's piece, just a comment - I love Fran's 'this too will pass' (which I think is in origin an Anglo-Saxon proverb, if so thanks to our forebears!) ... an excellent tip for the creative dry times. (My painting entered that place for a while not so long ago - no ideas, no inspiration...)

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    1. The only rule I have for writing, Clare, if I can call it even that, is I must love what I'm doing. (No chance of anyone else doing so if I don't. And if I don't, what's the point?). And whether I write a lot or a little, that love for coming up with something creative is what drives me. But I think it reasonable to expect there will be times you will produce plenty and at other times not so much. There is a natural ebb and flow going on here. We're not robots, thank goodness. Just don't be hard on yourself, anyone, if you're going through a "down" period. It happens.

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  7. Wise advice Allyson. Sometimes we just have to go with it, whatever, 'it' might be, while doing what we can when we can. Thank you for reminding us of this 🙂

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