Don’t get me wrong, I’m as fond of a sunny day as the next person, but I’ve discovered that my absolutely favorite working condition is a rainy day. :-[
For me, when I’m writing, when I’m really into my story, it means retreating into the story. There’s simply something about the rain coming down outside that fosters that retreat for me. I can cozy into the story and the writing. Hey, it’s raining, what else am I going to do? Even the dog doesn’t demand to go outside when it’s pouring. Nope, she discovers newfound limits to her little canine bladder and settles back down on the couch.
But give me a bright sunny outside and it becomes dang hard to keep my butt plastered in the chair. If it’s not swelteringly hot, I want to do something other than sit in front of the computer. A sunny day begs for a long walk with poochie moochie or getting out to run those errands or even occasionally with the sun slanting in to reveal the dust on the tables and the dirt on the floor I’m inspired to clean. It does not, however, inspire me to bury myself in my book. It distracts me.
Yet another upside to a rainy day is the sheer gratitude it inspires. We’ve had some torrential rains in the last couple of weeks — so much so that my county has been declared a disaster. Lying in bed with the rain coming down in sheets, I can only think how glad I am that I don’t have to get out in that mess and commute in Atlanta rush hour traffic. I’m so darn grateful that I only have to pad from the bedroom to the den in my pj’s to show up for work that I tend to work even harder on those days.
Thank you, I don’t want to move to a place where it rains constantly, but if I could just order up rainy mornings and end with a sunny afternoon, well…that’d be just fine by me. What say you? Do you like a spot of rain or are you purely a shine purist?
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I’m with you, Jennifer! Especially after 20 years of drought here in Texas, the rain is very welcome.
But especially right now, when I’m on a deadline, I was having a hard time keeping my Butt in the chair until it started storming last night. Somehow that put me right in the mood for the scene I needed to write. I read somewhere-or heard in a workshop maybe-that being in water or getting drenched usually symbolizes great change in your character’s life. There’s a song that comes to mind called BRING ON THE RAIN by Jo Dee Messina.
I live on the south Texas coast and yes we needed rain badly but we’ve been getting our share this month. I like rain but I like it to be gentle rain not accompanied by lightening and thunder. And I didn’t appreciate the rain we had this morning when it was coming down by the buckets full and was accompanied by 30-40 mph winds!!!! :-O
I don’t mind a little rain now and then. I love the smell of rain when it it’s the pavement, but I’ve had so much rain this summer and now fall as been wet as well, I need a break from it. If I could have a few sunny days in a row I’d be happy.
I’m a sunshine gal myself, but there’s no better sleep than hearing the rain on the roof. We had rough weather tonight with tornado sirens going off. That I can do without! :-O
Hi Jennifer, I love rainy days too. They are the prime time for curling up in bed with a good book or two. I love to just snuggle up in the blankets on such days. I love watching storm clouds roll in, but I would love it more, if I lived near the beach so that I could see lightning shows on the water, and just hear the sweet symphony created by the drops and waves. I guess that is one of my happy places in my head.
Peace and love
Paula R.
Reminds me of mystery author Elizabeth George describing why she moved from San Diego to the Pacific Northwest (Seattle, I think). She’s an Anglophile and said she couldn’t stand all that cheerful weather!
I don’t love the rain, the confess that on days I need to write, I’m happy to wake up with rain sounding on my metal roof…it makes for a more insular writing experience.
I live in WASHINGTON, so I guess I like rain. And I only live about 60 miles or so from Forks, WA known for their rain… and of course, vampires. It was 110 degrees one day this summer, a record temp for Seattle. No one has air conditioners, it’s Seattle! I couldn’t wait to get back to the cool drizzle days. Much better for writing.
Hey Jennifer!
I love rainy days. Like you, I find it really hard to sit and relax when the sun is shining and reminding me of everything I could be doing. The rain just makes it ‘feel’ like a good idea to sit and relax.
But I have to admit, once I get into a good book, it takes way more than sunshine to make me put it down…grin…
Have a great week!
Tami (C)