Summertime, and the Writing Is Easy

I love driving by the high school in June. The sign on the lawn announces no PTA meetings or special events. It says, simply: HAVE A GREAT SUMMER! I breathe a sigh of relief. June, to me, has always signaled the beginning of the writing year.

When I was in school,  I shoehorned writing in between tests and reading and projects. My brain cells got sore from analyzing Chekov and conjugating French verbs. In high school, my schedule was fixed: From 7:10 a.m. until 3:00, I was either in class or traveling to or from school. My best friend, whose house was never empty (five children, their friends, stay-at-home mom, a dog), pitied my latchkey life (sister at college, parents at work, dog asleep). But I practically bolted for home each day: Time to write! And come June, the days stretched out endless and warm; my stories grew in the Kansas heat like my mother’s morning glories.

These days, I’m not exactly throwing off the mantle of enforced schooling when June arrives. In fact, my time is probably more limited in summer. My daughter is home and the swimming pool, zoo, restaurants, and downtown fun all beckon. But I can’t shake that old feeling of freedom, of gearing up, hitting the keyboard. The temperature’s climbing! It must be time to write!

That’s what matters—that old feeling. Because time really is relative, whatever the clock may tell you. You find time for what matters to you. The season is right; the motivation’s there. I’ll use any trick I can find to open the creative spigot.

So how about you? You’ve got the whole summer. Create something!