Aaah…the ‘holiday season’. Time for giving thanks, blessings, and gifts. Time for reflecting on what we did, what we wanted to do but didn’t, what we will do next year – and deciding Ham or Turkey and if sweet potatoes should have marshmallows on top. Time for getting together, being alone, deciding which in-laws get which days, and whether to have everybody over to OUR house or go to 5 different places in the same day.

Somehow we get through it all, and even look forward to next November when it will start all over again.

Think about other seasons.  There are the regular calendar seasons, of course, and I wrote about hunting season(s) a couple weeks ago.  But what about life compared to calendar seasons? Spring, new life and early youth; Summer, the hot season of hormones and passion; Autumn, when we becalm and enjoy the fruits of our labors; and Winter, perhaps a time of reflection and, as some would note, waiting for a new life.

I am enjoying late autumn (let’s face it – I’m not middle aged. People don’t live to be 130!). I have family and friends. I am doing things I really like, yet still having new adventures. It’s great to be here, in this time, at this stage of my life.

Other things seem to be seasonal, and for each of us they are different.  It seems I have three writing seasons. At certain times of year, I write about different things, and explore different genres.

I am in the middle of  Non-Fiction season right now. It seems natural for this to start in early autumn and work through winter. I think more about family and friends and my past in these days, and work out my thoughts and feelings in essays and memoirs. It began a little early this year, as I started this blog in the summer and used personal experiences as a jumping-off point.  The blog has also helped me focus on my writing, connect with old friends, and make new ones – and for that, I am blessed several times over.

Soon it will be Poetry season for me.  Right after the New Year and through the hustle and bustle of spring my W.A.D.D. is in full throttle, and everything catches my attention and demands to be noted with fresh perspective. It seems that all of the poetry workshops I attend happen in spring, also.  I wonder – do I seek those out, or are they seasonal, too? 

As I get past the Lucidity poetry workshop in April (more about that later) I will begin creating new, full blown tales in the form of more Fiction short stories. Summer demands stories with structure. Maybe it’s that passion thing. We want  heart-pounding adventures with satisfactory endings.  

And in between all of that, through insomniac nights, during long weekends and longer retreats and vacations, the novel(s) beckon.

Do you write in seasons?