Hey there, and welcome to Nothing but the Words. I’m your book coach, Candice L. Davis. I hope your week and your writing are going well.

I’m recording this episode about a week before the official start of summer, but it’s already 86 degrees and beautifully sunny here in Atlanta.

The sun doesn’t set until after 8:00 at night these days, and I am in my glory.

I don’t know about you, but I come alive in the summer.

I live for these longer days and the sunshine.

I know summer ain’t what it used to be—with climate change and the destruction of the ozone layer—but my DNA is wired to reveal my best self in summer.

Everything that seemed impossible during the dark days of winter seems not only possible but likely and easy and available to me.

My attitude is better and my energy is higher.

I am a summer girl through and through. In fact, my dream-come-true would be a second home in the Southern Hemisphere so I could double my summertime.

So I clearly and deeply love summer, but what does that have to do with writing your book?

Even if you’re one of those strange people who lives for “sweater weather,” summer likely presents lots of distractions that can throw you off from your writing goals.

Maybe your kids are home for the summer or you’re running them from camp to camp.

Maybe you’re travelling more than you do at other times of the year.

Or maybe you just want to spend more time outside, hiking, swimming, biking, or lying in the shade with a cool drink and a good book written by someone other than you.

Whatever the case, when it comes to writing your book, you have two choices that can serve you.

You can either commit to keep writing and making progress with your book.

Or you can decide to take the summer off and put your book aside until after summer fun is behind you.

There is of course a third option which most writers will take. It’s the worst one, and I highly caution you against it.

That third option is to keep telling yourself you’re going to write, keep putting it off, and then beat yourself up about it.

It seems like you’re doing the right thing by trying to fit your book into your schedule, but it only results in frustration and unnecessary self-flagellation.

So pretending to yourself that you’re going to write when it’s not going to happen, is the worst of all options.

Out of the other two options, commit to your writing this summer or put it off, you might not be surprised to hear my recommendation: Keep writing.

Now, hear me out before you decide.

Taking two or three or four months off from writing your book can kill your momentum and the dull the passion you feel for your ideas.

Way too many writers “take a break” from their book and then never get back to it at all.

If you’re thinking writing through the summer is, like most things worth doing, easier said than done, I agree with you, but I also know you can do it and it’s worth doing.

Writing through the summer will help you stay in the world of your book so you don’t lose whatever momentum you already have.

It will keep you on track with your goals for your book.

And if you’re the competitive type, then know that writing through the summer will put you ahead of everyone else who’s taking the summer off from their book. It’s a sign that you’re approaching this book venture as a professional author.

So how do you keep writing and still enjoy this season?

First, decide you want to write this summer.

Listen. If you really need to take the season off, do it and don’t look back.

No guilt. No shame. No stress.

But don’t waffle back and forth. Indecision is one of the most effective ways to add unnecessary stress to your life.

So just decide.

“I’m taking the summer away from my book.”

Or

“I’m going to enjoy the summer and keep writing.”

Second, if you decide you want to keep writing, start by accepting the reality of your current schedule.

If your usual week is disrupted or busier than usual, don’t waste time wishing it was different or trying to fit in your usual writing time.

Resisting reality, just like indecision, causes stress and reduces your ability to tap into your creativity and focus.

Look at your current schedule as it is, knowing full well that it will shift again as the season changes in to fall.

For now, you have the time you have.

Last week, one of my coaching clients in my group-coaching experience Authors Ignited was really stressed because she didn’t have time to work on her book while she was planning a June event for her charitable organization.

But beating herself up for not writing didn’t get her any further along with her book.

The best course of action for her was to accept that she wouldn’t get to sit down and write again until after the event. 

Once she came to terms with that, she could fully focus on producing her event, knowing her manuscript in progress would still be waiting for her in a couple of weeks.

If summer events will take you away from your book for a week or two, accept reality and live with it.

Be present for your family and your friends and yourself.

Enjoy your vacation or your family reunion for what it is.

And third, have a plan for getting back to your book.

The key to that plan is to focus on consistency rather than frequency or duration.

Listen. Sitting down to write for an hour or three every day is great.

For many, many writers, writing every day is ideal, but it’s not always possible.

One of my coaching clients wrote the first draft of her book over six months, and for the most part, she only wrote on Sundays.

That’s what her schedule allowed.

Commit to the time you’ll write even if it’s only once a week. Focus on showing up to this work consistently even if you can’t show up frequently.

Put your writing time on your calendar and respect it the way you would an appointment with a doctor who charges you a painful missed-appointment fee.

When you can’t actually write, allow yourself time to think about what you’re writing on drives or walks or flights—whenever you have free time.

Rather than filling that space with the radio or social media or a podcast, think about your book.

Make notes in a notebook, on printed pages of your manuscript, or in your phone.

Be with the material even when you’re not actively writing.

Summer is made to be enjoyed—and that probably means getting out of your house and out of your usual routine.

But it doesn’t have to mean falling behind on your writing goals.

Don’t let the warm weather throw you off from your book goals.

It’s incredibly easy to let summer pass you by and look up in September only to find you’ve only written a few disjointed pages.

Commit to your summer writing time.

Even if you have to shorten it.

Even if you have to take it down to a few days a week.

Even if you take a week off from it while you’re at the beach.

Put it on your calendar and respect it.

If you write one page a day between now and fall, you’ll have more than 120 pages of your book written.

If you write just 3 pages a week, you’ll still have 51 new pages by fall.

So keep writing.

Show up for your book, for your readers, and for yourself.

You can do this. I’ll be writing this summer. My clients in my group-coaching program for authors who want to write a book that matters will be writing this summer, and my private coaching clients will be writing this summer.

 If you want the same kind of support they receive—with guidance, accountability, and feedback—book a complimentary consultation call with me at CandiceLDavis.com.

The link is in the show notes. Schedule a call, and let’s talk about how we can work together to keep you on track to write a book that will make a difference for you and for your readers.

Thanks for listening to “Nothing but the Words.” I’m your book coach, Candice L. Davis, and I’ll see you next time.