Rainy Day Writing
Rainy day writing can be a difficult task for people who let the weather affect their mood and productivity. I choose my words carefully here, "people who let the weather affect (them)." It shouldn't be a surprise to you that most people (probably including you) like to absolve themselves of responsibility. I know there are conditions such as Seasonal Affect Disorder that can really mess with a person when he's trying to get something done, but most who have issues during cold, windy or rainy days are letting the weather get to them. Sometimes, you need to take control of your life by taking control of your mood.
As I'm working on this post, I'm engaging in a bit of rainy day writing myself. It would be silly for me to claim that this is an easy task, since I used to be one of those folks who would, in the words of Milli Vanilli, "Blame it on the rain." Much like that band's fake singing, blaming a lack of productivity on the rain doesn't have a lot of substance. I recall back in my coffee shop days when I would ask people how they were and they would respond, "Well, it's raining outside." They would respond as if the weather was directly related to their mood. Isn't that kind of a crappy way to live? Completely dictated by something you can't control?
I think a much better way to go about your creative pursuits, such as rainy day writing, is to choose to be in a better mood than the weather might dictate. How does one do this? There are more than a few ways. One method I like to use is to think about all of the things I'm grateful for. It may be cold and wet outside, but I have enough jackets and layers to weather the weather and for that I'm grateful. The flip side of that gratitude is to find reasons why the world might be grateful for the weather. If it's raining out, perhaps you can smile a bit thinking about how happy the plants might be due to some much needed nourishment. I also enjoy thinking about all the fun times I've had in the rain and snow when I'm bombarded by such weather. I have some great memories of playing basketball with my brother, hanging out with friends, and have glorious smooches with my past girlfriends in the presence of torrential downpours. How could I be depressed while thinking about those fantastic pictures in my head?
Other ideas to get your rainy day writing going include going for an awesome run in the rain, listening to some raindrop drowning out happy tunes, calling your friends for a goofy conversation and doing an anti-rain dance. If you are a writer or you want to be, blaming a lack of productivity on the rain is simply an issue of wanting to make excuses. Cut the excuses, do the work and you'll be able to sit back and enjoy your words washing over the public like raindrops.
Done with Rainy Day Writing? Go back to Motivation Techniques.
