Juggling Summer Days and Writing

Summer has come, life changes. Kids are home. Vacations and weddings are around the corner. Daily routines shift. How will you manage writing this summer?






AND THE TOP TEN LIST IS............DRUM ROLL PLEASE.....


10. ORGANIZE: This has earned the fine distinction of number ten because it’s one of those jobs writers hate. Ever wonder why movies depict authors/writers sitting in a room filled with stacks of papers and shelves of books?

9. DUE FIRST: When in doubt, do what is due first. When feeling lazy, Do What Is Due First. When uninspired, DO WHAT IS DUE FIRST.

8. BIC: This is not a pen. Butt In Chair. Flittering distractions yank us from our train of thought, assist us in sensing the need to call Aunt Josephine who lives in Siberia even though you haven’t spoken to her in 37 ½ years, motivate us to check facebook or email for the tenth time in the last hour, or invigorate us to do ANYTHING except finish the last sentence of that chapter.

7. REWARD: Set up quality rewards when completing designated portions of your WIP. Go ahead. Give yourself a reward—not because you deserve it—but because it will inspire you.


6. LISTEN: Set times to be away from your WIP. Go to a park, coffee shop, or the mall. Sit back and listen to the people around you. What do they say? What inflections are used? What don’t they say? Here is my favorite example: One afternoon, while sitting in my dining room the neighbor children came out to play. Three-year-old Henry announced to the other children, “OK, let’s take turns. Everyone behind me."

5. CHORES: Take time to do daily chores. When the laundry is done, the grass mowed, or the dog walked you'll feel more freedom to write.

4. PLAY: Who says you’re too old to play? Find a partner, whether young or old, and play a game. Interested in basketball or bike riding; care to climb a tree, play a board game, or the piano? Playing stirs the creative side of the brain.


3. READ: Try a new genre this summer. It might be like taking medicine, but you may survive. Step out of the lines: read a comic, a picture book, something nonfiction, or what about Shakespeare, Unger, or Asimov? Read a chapter book with a child and hold a book talk. You might be surprised what they say.

2. LAUGH, CRY, and SING: Hermits are allowed to express themselves, although it works better with a friend or family member. Did you know the Bible says God laughs, cries, and sings? Zephaniah 3:17 states: The Lord your God in your midst is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over you with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over you with singing. (I can’t wait to hear Him sing in heaven!) To experience life is to acquire reality for our writing.


1. BUDGET: Work in a regular time with God, everyday. The more time invested in a relationship with God, the more you will produce what God has called you to do. You shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth fruit in season. Psalm 1:3

What fun ideas do you have planned for this summer? How will you gleam kernels of truth, humor, and quotables to use in your future writings? What would you like to complete this summer?