Taking Advantage of Spring

On these sunny days, the call of the outdoors is often stronger than the call of the computer and the internal world. The question, for me, at least, is how to resist, but how also not to feel silly for wasting these glorious days indoors. I’m blessed with Lefty, my four-legged personal trainer, so no matter what, I get out for at least 30-45 minutes, but often that doesn’t seem like enough. Still, spending large chunks of the day outdoors makes me feel as if I’m not giving my writing the time and consistency it deserves.

I have no easy answers, but here are a few things I’ve found that make the dilemma more bearable.

(1)    Write first, go out second, but make sure to go out. Perhaps, write less.

(2)    Fully celebrate and experience the spring; here in New England I have been happily mesmerized by the pinks and whites of weeping cherries and flowering dogwood among other trees, and the yellow of forsythia.

(3)    Use the unstructured time outside to contemplate character and plot problems—sometimes the best ideas come as I’m pulling weeds out of the flower garden.

(4)    Occasionally take a full day off and do something really fun—go on a bike ride, a long hike, spend the whole day in the garden. The trick, is obviously not to be seduced into taking too many days off, but often a break from routine can serve to nurture and replenish.

(5)    Perhaps, enjoy the day and write at night—I can’t do this, but maybe others can.

If nothing else, this “problem” makes me appreciate the rainy days more than I might have, as I get a break from being torn.