It’s mid spring in Australia just at the moment. The days are getting warmer. Sort of. You know, when winter let’s it get a look in. And, interestingly enough, with the weather warming up and spring and summer looking like they might possibly arrive one of these days, I’ve noticed a shift in my levels of motivation, and my eagerness to work on my writing, even the less fun things, like admin and scheduling and such. I want to achieve more, and I feel like this is, in part, thanks to the changing weather.
I am not a winter person, as anyone who knows me in real life will attest to. The temperature so much as dips into the mid teens (Celsius of course) and you can bet I’ll be wrapped in a blanket, huddled over the gas fire, trying to preserve what little body heat I can. I don’t feel like doing anything when I’m cold, not even writing, much as I love it. Some writers like it when the weather gets cold because they can cozy up with their books and a warm drink and write. Not me. Once I’m cold, I have no desire to do anything other than not be cold.
Now that the weather is slowly warming up and I don’t have to worry so much about keeping warm, I feel a lot more energetic and creative, For some reason, the warmer weather seems to kick up my levels of motivation. Maybe because I’m not preoccupied with the tasks of staying warm and comfortable, I have more brain space for it. Maybe because everything is lighter and brighter and more cheerful, it helps my mood, and that helps my desire to create. I don’t really know.
This feeling is part of the reason I’m so glad that NaNoWriMo is in November, which is the last month of spring for us. Not that I don’t do Camp NaNoWriMo in my winter months (it’s always so funny participating in a virtual summer camp when it’s winter where you live). But when it comes to the main event of the year, I’m definitely grateful that it falls in a season that is actively helping me to write more and be more creative.
But my own changing levels of weather related motivation has got me wondering, does anyone else ever feel this way? Do you find that the weather and the season affects how motivated you are to write? Do you find it easier to write in warmer or cooler weather? Are you getting excited for NaNoWriMo?
