Happy Friday!

It’s been a bad winter. Cold, snowy, icy and now today thunder and lightning, fog, and since we zipped up above freezing (39°F) rain. As I sit hear listening to the storm outside, I find myself hoping the rain will wash away the remaining ice slabs on the driveway and walks. (I know, I know – flooding, but I’m so tired of chopping ice.)

My Winter

November/December – The snow is so pretty! I will shovel every square inch of my driveway and walkways. I’ll even clear every square inch of the driveway extension.

January – Yuck! Didn’t I just have to shovel last week? I’ll clear the driveway and walks, but I really only need to clear half of the extension.

February – This isn’t funny Mother Nature. Do you know how this daily shoveling/ice chopping affects my schedule – not to mention my back. It’s tough to toss this heavy snow over snowbanks that are almost as tall as I am. The driveway is clear, and the driveway apron is ¾ clear. The driveway extension has become a great place to dump the excess snow, and the walks are only cleared one shovel’s width.  Backing out of the driveway has become an adventure. The sensors on my car react continuously to the snowbanks lining the drive.

March – Don’t push your luck Mother Nature.

 

The weeks of harsh weather and the accompanying hibernation are not without benefits though. Since I spend on average 8 -10 hours a day writing or editing for my day job, I find it too easy to procrastinate when it comes to my independent writing. Providence will be out in less than a month, but my manuscript for my next novel is not quite ready for my agent’s eyes yet. My goal had been to get it to her by last Thanksgiving, and then it was by January 1^st, followed by my birthday. I keep moving the finish line, but don’t seem to be gaining much on it.

The forced isolation has taken away my excuses. The world is not pulling me away from my computer; rather it’s telling me get to work! My new goal is March 18^th – the day my first novel will officially release.

How about you? Do you find it easier to write/create during the winter? Or does cabin fever rob you of your creative juices?  How do you overcome the urge to procrastinate?