As the days grow shorter, do you find yourself writing more, or less, because of the difference in the season? Do the seasons affect your writing schedule, or ability, in other ways?
The short
answer to this question is “Yes”, but maybe not in the way most would think.
In case you
haven’t noticed, I travel. A lot. Which means that certain times of the year
are better for me to be writing, because I’m at home, at my desk, and able to
do the whole plotting, researching, writing, and editing thing. Yes, I have
edited books when I’m not at home, and I’ve even done some plotting and lots of
research when I'm away (of course!), but I have never – to date – written a book while I am
anywhere but at home. So my travel times give my writing a seasonal pattern, though I enjoy time at home.
July evening, at home. Lovely.
And my travel times are tied to various elements: visiting Wales for my birthday, which usually neatly dovetails with attending CrimeFest in Bristol, each year; visiting Wales for Mum’s birthday each year; attending various conventions like Left Coast Crime or Bouchercon; seasonally-sensitive trips like the one I just took from Vancouver to Sydney, via Hawaii, Tahiti, and New Zealand, which depend upon cruising timetables.
 |
| In Papeete, Tahiti October, 2022 (honestly, this was for research purposes!) |
I also try to be away in sunny climes to be able to miss at least a part of the winter here in Vancouver.
So my
schedule tends to be dictated by my travel plans, rather than the seasons,
though the two are connected. Yes, I know I am lucky!
Recently, I was fortunate enough to be in Sydney, Australia on the day that the celebrations were held to mark the 50th anniversary of the opening of the city’s iconic opera house.
Passing the Sydney Opera House on October 20th 2023 -
which was its 50th birthday!
This was the latest in half a dozen visits to the city, which features in my forthcoming 13th Cait Morgan Mystery, The Corpse with the Opal Fingers, which will be published NEXT WEEK on the 13th November. If you haven’t pre-ordered the book you can still do so, then get stuck into it as soon as possible: https://www.cathyace.com/cait-morgan-mysteries
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