Seasons of Writing: Which Season Are You In?

Another summer is almost in the books. Local schools ring the opening bell for the 2022-23 school year tomorrow at 7:55 a.m. And as if to remind us that the fun-in-the-sun season is drawing to a close, the air here has had a decided fall feel this week, with temperatures noticeably cooler.

We're so thankful to have reveled in the kind of normal summer we used to take for granted, complete with an exciting, successful Minor League Baseball season, many days at the pool, and nurturing the love of libraries and reading with our grandson. 

Upper right: Reading "Mr. Popper's Penguins" on Gram's Kindle
 while swaying in the summer breeze.

Hours spent planting and tending to flowers and feasting on garden produce - strawberries, rhubarb, raspberries, green peppers, tomatoes. Tending and feasting that will stretch well into fall, weather permitting.  

Our last big adventure of the summer begins two weeks from today when we land on the sunny shores of Kailua Kona, Hawaii, for a long-awaited, twice-postponed exotic vacation. When we return, the calendar will have flipped to September, and I will welcome the transition to my favorite season.

It seems fitting that my writing life will be experiencing its own season of transition this fall. As some doors open and others close, I look forward to expanding a new-to-me opportunity to bring awareness to a life-impacting ministry and also to have more time to devote to the personal projects that have languished for far too long, trumped by other deadlines. 

I've learned to appreciate the value of every opportunity to write, to view each as a chance to improve my craft. Whether it be writing an email appeal, sharing the story of a life transformed, penning the next novel chapter, crafting an engaging invitation to the annual family reunion, or creating a blog post furthering the business concerns of a client, putting words to paper or screen, in any form, sharpens my skills. 

Maybe you're not in the writing season that you'd like to be in. Maybe writing has been pushed so far back that you must admit it's not even on the "back burner." Maybe you're not content with the time you have to invest in writing pursuits. Maybe the effort via time and energy spent are spot on but the "fruit" is slow to come. I encourage you to hang in there and to embrace every writing opportunity no matter how small or insignificant or boring it might be. 

While I have high hopes for the new season I see looming on the near horizon, I know that life and stuff and distractions will continue to present challenges because that's what they do. So, I'm trying to maintain realistic expectations and choosing to welcome all forms of writing. Hey, even a grocery/errands list can be full of lyrical descriptions and strong verbs. Right? 

Happy end-of-summer and cheers to each and every writing encounter. May you never miss a chance to make the words sing! 

Beth’s combined experiences teaching the high school Sunday School class, substitute teaching in the public school, and connecting with the teenage staff at the fast-food joint where she claimed a “back booth office” helped inspire her young adult “Choices Matter” fiction series. She's a "cheerleader" for saving sex for marriage and for "renewed waiting" because it's never too late to make wiser choices. Her “Waiting Matters … Because YOU Matter” blog helps people of all ages navigate the choppy waters of saving sex for marriage while her “Slices of Real Life” posts find GOD in the day-to-day moments of real life.

  As a genetic genealogy enthusiast and "search angel," she writes and speaks about her experiences as a "foundling" who located her birth parents. Her journey to find and connect with her biological family is chronicled in the blog series “A Doorstep Baby’s Search for Answers.” She also serves on the executive board of the National Association of Adoptees and Parents. All of her writing endeavors can be found on her website, https://bethsteury.com.