The whole country is experiencing extraordinary heat this summer and, at least for some of us, our traditionally hottest months are yet to come.<\/p>\n
Everyone is suffering. Those of us without central air conditioning or whose window units aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t keeping up with the heat, must be creative. Some writers are contending with smoke and threats from nearby wildfires. And countless thousands of people are experiencing power outages. My writer friend in St. Louis has been without power for an entire week now. And they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re having temps in the triple digits.<\/p>\n
Of course, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s almost impossible to write when the first thing on your mind is survival\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwhen the only way you can get cool is by driving around with your car air conditioner on and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s impossible to find refrigerated food anywhere in town. However, knowing my friend, she is jotting down her observations and experiences. She is creating storylines and coming up with enough article ideas to keep her writing for the next few years. <\/p>\n
But what about those of us who are just a bit distracted because of the heat? I know how it is (it was 112 here over the weekend). You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re hot and you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re uncomfortable. Your body is exhausted, your brain feels fried and all of this discomfort is distracting. Perhaps you feel like a prisoner in your own home because it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just too hot to go outside. You live for that time in the evening when the outside temperature is cooler than the inside temperature and you can open the doors and windows. <\/p>\n
How do you write when you are so preoccupied by how the heat is affecting you?<\/p>\n
I write very early in the morning before the heat settles into my office. I can usually tolerate the temperature in here until about 3 in the afternoon. Some days I use a trick I learned when I was younger and had a pool. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s called the wet bathing suit solution. I put on my bathing suit and jump in the shower. Then I wear the wet bathing suit around the house all day. When the suit starts to dry out, I jump in the shower again. One writer I know uses the same concept with her regular clothing. Rather than be miserable all day, she holds her tank top or tee shirt under running water until it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s soaked, wrings it out and then wears it around the house. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s really amazing how much cooler you are when you are wearing wet clothing.<\/p>\n
I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know about you, but when I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m hot, I have trouble concentrating. In fact, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have much enthusiasm for writing when I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m feeling too hot. So it pays to find a way to make yourself more comfortable. Of course, drink plenty of water. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m also reverting back to my childhood and eating popsicles. Here are some ideas for keeping to your writing schedule even in this unbearable heat:<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tPut your bad mood to good use in your writing: Heat is stressful and it can affect ones mood. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s more domestic violence, when it is hot. As a writer, you can capitalize on that bad mood by using the hot days to work on your dark fiction. Flesh out the most despicable character in the story you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re writing, for example.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tWrite a poem, story or article related to the heat. This is also a good way to journal and to, perhaps, find solutions to your uncomfortable dilemma. Maybe, though journaling, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll decide that it is time to purchase that air conditioner for your office. Think about it\u00e2\u20ac\u201dcan you afford to be nonproductive? If the heat build up in your office is keeping you from writing, put out $300 for a small air conditioner. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve even seen new ones as cheap as $150. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll surely retrieve your investment promptly just in your productivity level. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tSend out query letters. You should have query letters already written for articles you want to pitch as well as for the book you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re working on. This is a good time to be sending them out to appropriate magazines and publishing houses. You don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to write anything new. Sending query letters can be a no brainer. Just beware that you are targeting the appropriate editor\/publisher.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tThink winter. That is, write about things related to the cooler months. This is the time you should be pitching articles for publication in December through March, anyway. Here are some article ideas:<\/p>\n
*Cool places to visit with your family (or your honey or your girlfriends) in January.
\n*Great holiday gifts that don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t cost a lot.
\n*Relationship tips for those sometimes volatile holiday gatherings.
\n*Great holiday party ideas.
\n*Creative ideas for helping a needy family at Christmastime.
\n*How to manage a successful family gift exchange.
\n*Things you can make for holiday gifts.
\n*How to protect your health when flying during the cold and flu season.
\n*Volunteer opportunities for the whole family. Ho to go out and gather holiday smiles.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tSwitch activities. Are you working on a book? And you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel like writing in the heat? Go do your Christmas shopping. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be inside in the air conditioning and thinking about the holidays might just cool you off. In December, you can work right through those days and weeks that you would normally devote to Christmas shopping.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tPick and choose your projects. There are ways to produce and achieve even when your brain is compromised by the heat. Organize your desk, file the items that have been collecting for two or three weeks in your in-basket, delete your accumulation of old emails or write a writing or book promotion plan covering the next few months.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tWrite a chapter or an article that doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t take a lot of brain power. Organize it, outline it, work on developing a character. If it is a reference book, compile your resource list or start working on the index. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tDo some book promotion. Do you have a press release written? Just find a directory of newspapers, libraries or review sites and send the press release to appropriate email addresses. This takes little thought, yet it is one of your more important tasks. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll feel as though you are accomplishing something and you are. This will lift your spirits even if your body feels worn out from the heaviness of the heat. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tBook some speeches for appropriate clubs and organizations. If you have written a local history book, arrange to speak before local civic organizations and historical societies. Perhaps your book is an exciting novel or a how-to or a self-help book on an interesting subject. Is it directed at women? Contact local business women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s clubs, the Red Hat Society, women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s community clubs and women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s organizations related to different industries. Are you planning a trip, contact bookstores and radio stations along your route to set up some signings and speaking gigs.<\/p>\n
Who says that you can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be productive when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re feeling compromised by this oppressive heat? Triple digit temps, even those in the high 90s, day after day after day can be extremely annoying and exhausting. But this shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be an excuse for a writer to slough off. Avoid writing now and you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll get into the habit of taking time off whenever the notion suits you. I can hear the excuses now: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I have spring fever,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s too windy to write.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s too cold.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I have a hangnail.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d <\/p>\n
Now, a word to those of you who are experiencing gorgeous, sunshiny, mild weather\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthose of you who are getting a comfortable night\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sleep: what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s your excuse for not writing? Is the lure of the out of doors distracting you? Is it just too lovely to work inside? Well, go outside and write. Sure, take your laptop or your pen and pad and let the beauty inspire you.<\/p>\n
Get your writing done, people, and then go play. Okay, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve completed my blog for the week. It is almost 4:00 p.m. and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m going to go watch my favorite afternoon TV show, Judge Marilyn Milian. (Hey, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s research. The court cases give me ideas for articles.)<\/p>\n
Here’s another excellent hot weather activity. Order your copy of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book<\/em> and sit in front of a fan or under a shade tree and read it. Talk about being productive… This book has the potential to help you set and achieve your writing and publishing goals. The whole country is experiencing extraordinary heat this summer and, at least for some of us, our traditionally hottest months are yet to come. Everyone is suffering. Those of us without central air conditioning or whose window units aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t keeping up with the heat, must be creative. Some writers are contending with smoke and threats […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t
\nFor more information about this excellent book and to order, http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/rightway.html<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"