Thank you Susannah for this pearl. Hearing it evokes a joy in me as if hearing a wonderful poem.
Something that does this for me is hearing the robins and other thrushes calling through the trees in winter. And later, in Spring, joining many other species of birds singing the dawn chorus. It should be called the Predawn chorus. Before the sun even thinks about arising these males of many species sing together.
This letter is full of such beautiful poetic language and I LOVED your description of Mexico City (you took me back there). In the daily cycle, I’m a morning writer. I’ve never thought about a yearly cycle, but I’d say I’m most creatively productive in late Autumn. My novel is set in Victorian England, mostly in Autumn and Winter, so I think the shorter days and colder nights have a way of urging me fireside in my imagination.
Ooh yes, there is something wonderful about the winter and nestling down that is very conducive to diving deep into novel writing. I really hear you. There is quite a romanticism in that too, like you say so beautifully, urging you to the fireside, snuggling up and getting cosy with your characters. I used to find rainy season in Oaxaca a wonderful time to write because the pounding rain and roaring thunder gave me a dramatic soundtrack and let me know I should definitely had nowhere to go.
I need to cycle through my creative pursuits in alternation. I get to a point of overload in any one thing. I can art for weeks at a time then I'm just done. That's when I pick up the writing, exhaust that energy and turn back to music or art or gardening for a time. While still under the productivity spell that plagues society, I used to try and push through these points of exhaustion and the only outcome was I wasted time that could have been better spent elsewhere. When I am done with something, I'm done with it. There's no more energy to spend in that direction. Pick up the energy in another and pour yourself into that. Or just rest.
Oh my goodness. I had so many gasps - every paragraph actually. It was like riding a wave, and then another wave. Such beautiful, vivid visuals and 'yes!' moments. And how I love the idea of the earth rumbling awake after a long winter in March with an earthquake. So much resonates in this letter, but it was also such a joy to read, in the same way - for me - as listening to some beautiful piano music as you took me on a journey through nature as it happens. Such a wonderful rhythm. Jan IS such a mad time to start a new year - yet I had never thought of it before. I struggle getting up in the dark (in winter) - esp if having to set an alarm, it never feels right. And I think a lot about how mad it is that as westerners, we STILL don't eat seasonally and we import fruits in from all over the globe. You are so right, we need to follow natures rhythm. We seem to have this crazy idea that we are separate from it.
Oh Viv, thank you so much for your lovely words, they mean a lot! What a joy (and how humbling) to hear you compare my writing to piano music, wow! I totally hear you re rising before dawn and eating fruits out of season, we can be so separate from nature's natural rhythms. That is actually a beauty in Mexico, when shopping at the market you get to know the seasons of fruits and veg and we are just edging into mango season now (oh joy of sweet joys)!
Thank you Susannah for this pearl. Hearing it evokes a joy in me as if hearing a wonderful poem.
Something that does this for me is hearing the robins and other thrushes calling through the trees in winter. And later, in Spring, joining many other species of birds singing the dawn chorus. It should be called the Predawn chorus. Before the sun even thinks about arising these males of many species sing together.
That's lovely, Jon!
This letter is full of such beautiful poetic language and I LOVED your description of Mexico City (you took me back there). In the daily cycle, I’m a morning writer. I’ve never thought about a yearly cycle, but I’d say I’m most creatively productive in late Autumn. My novel is set in Victorian England, mostly in Autumn and Winter, so I think the shorter days and colder nights have a way of urging me fireside in my imagination.
Ooh yes, there is something wonderful about the winter and nestling down that is very conducive to diving deep into novel writing. I really hear you. There is quite a romanticism in that too, like you say so beautifully, urging you to the fireside, snuggling up and getting cosy with your characters. I used to find rainy season in Oaxaca a wonderful time to write because the pounding rain and roaring thunder gave me a dramatic soundtrack and let me know I should definitely had nowhere to go.
I need to cycle through my creative pursuits in alternation. I get to a point of overload in any one thing. I can art for weeks at a time then I'm just done. That's when I pick up the writing, exhaust that energy and turn back to music or art or gardening for a time. While still under the productivity spell that plagues society, I used to try and push through these points of exhaustion and the only outcome was I wasted time that could have been better spent elsewhere. When I am done with something, I'm done with it. There's no more energy to spend in that direction. Pick up the energy in another and pour yourself into that. Or just rest.
Beautiful! It sounds like you are very in touch with your creative cycles and you know when to rest too- so very important. Thanks for sharing!
Oh my goodness. I had so many gasps - every paragraph actually. It was like riding a wave, and then another wave. Such beautiful, vivid visuals and 'yes!' moments. And how I love the idea of the earth rumbling awake after a long winter in March with an earthquake. So much resonates in this letter, but it was also such a joy to read, in the same way - for me - as listening to some beautiful piano music as you took me on a journey through nature as it happens. Such a wonderful rhythm. Jan IS such a mad time to start a new year - yet I had never thought of it before. I struggle getting up in the dark (in winter) - esp if having to set an alarm, it never feels right. And I think a lot about how mad it is that as westerners, we STILL don't eat seasonally and we import fruits in from all over the globe. You are so right, we need to follow natures rhythm. We seem to have this crazy idea that we are separate from it.
Oh Viv, thank you so much for your lovely words, they mean a lot! What a joy (and how humbling) to hear you compare my writing to piano music, wow! I totally hear you re rising before dawn and eating fruits out of season, we can be so separate from nature's natural rhythms. That is actually a beauty in Mexico, when shopping at the market you get to know the seasons of fruits and veg and we are just edging into mango season now (oh joy of sweet joys)!
Mango's? I'm on my way!