Thursday, October 14, 2010

I Feel a Novel Coming On

I feel a novel coming on. I've taken a few weeks off from writing, letting my brain rest and rejuvenate after completing a big series of revisions. But this morning I got itchy fingers. That's always a good sign.


Then there's the weather. After a pitiful summer with not much heat in it, we've had a bit of a respite lately, with a couple weeks of lovely Indian Summer. With temperatures in the high sixties and seventies, yesterday I sat on the front porch rolling up my pant legs to gather the last bit of warm sun on my legs, watching our new kitten gambol in the grass, catching grasshoppers.





This morning, great grey clouds gathered in the north, and as the air grew brisk with impending rain, autumn leaves began to scuttle and scatter. Okay, enough with the poetic images. Winter is coming, darn it. And if you believe the forecasters, who predict something called La Nina for us this year (the opposite of El Nino) we are in for a long, wild winter.

Still, it's this kind of weather that makes me retreat to my keyboard and bang out words. This morning, as if my brain could feel the change in the seasons, I opened up Word and completed a first chapter on a new novel. Winter is the time when I write.




Now, if I can just get this kitten off my lap.

When is your best time to write? Do the seasons affect your creativity? Do you ever feel a novel coming on?

12 comments:

Susan said...

It's nine pm and the house is quiet. This is a good time for me to write. The weather is supposed to turn cooler here also. Winter is much more conducive to writing. Can't you just leave the kitten on your lap?

Linda Benson said...

Susan - good luck with your writing. Hope you get another novel finished this winter!

I would love to write with the kitten on my lap, but he pounces on my fingers as they move across the keyboard, and paws at the blinking cursor on my monitor! *sigh* He's just a bit too playful to get any work done. Silly cat!

Shelby Bach said...

(Whoops! I think Blogger didn't my last comment - if it posts twice, I'm sorry!)

I tend to write a lot more in winter too! Fall is usually the time for plotting - it's like all the characters in my head have woken up and demanded that I write their stories. :-P

My notebooks are filling up, and those tiny snippets will soon beg to grow into chapters....

Charmaine Clancy said...

OMG that kitten is too cute!

Laura S. said...

My summer was hot, hot, hot. I loved it! I'm most productive in the spring and summer. The warmth and sunshine gives me energy and makes me happy, and I always want to write. Fall is beautiful, but the growing chill and dreary skies encourage me to curl up on the couch with blankets and a good book, lol. It's a lot harder for me to be productive in the winter!

Have fun with your new novel! :)

Linda Benson said...

Shelby and Laura - isn't it interesting that different times of the year spark the "writing" bug for us? Good luck to both of you, with your projects.

Charmaine - lol. Yes, that adorable kitten is a picture I found on the internet. Mine is actually about 3 months old now (see post below for Fred) and barely holds still now to get his picture taken. I love all cats, don't you?

Kerry O Cerra said...

Hey. Happy to hear you're writing again...so soon. Sadly, we don't get much of a winter here in South Florida. :( Sent Jo my novel today. Gonna take a much needed break, but who knows, maybe I'll get itchy fingers too. Let me know if you want me to read for you.
Hugs,
~Kerry

Amy Lukavics said...

KITTEN KITTEN KITTEN!!

And, oh my LORD I am jealous of your weather.

I also had a (really freakishly exciting good) idea for a new novel recently. I love that electric feeling.

*Virtual high five*

Linda Benson said...

Thanks Kerry and Amy. Yes, the part I like best about writing is that "electric" feeling you get when you start something new. Well, that and actually finishing a first draft. The two best parts.

Good luck with whatever projects you are tackling next!

Cynthia Chapman Willis said...

Oh yes, I get itchy fingers, too, when I haven't written. I can't be without a story in my head for long before I feel a novel coming on. It's a great feeling, isn't it? Good luck with your latest! How exciting! : )

Rachel Stark said...

Hi Linda -- thanks for the follow! Lovely photos, and good luck with the new work!

The seasons definitely affect my creativity, and my productivity! I'm an absolute summer girl, and I need sunlight to get anything done. But that said, I do get a jolt when those first crisp days of Autumn make an appearance.

Linda Benson said...

Cynthia - it's good to know someone else gets itchy fingers. I've always thought it might be because I've played so much piano. I love the feeling of my fingers dancing over the keys and making something happen - music, words, anything.

Rachel - likewike - thanks for the follow. Your blog is so interesting!