Seven Things a Writer Must Do to Prepare for Winter Writing

By Susan Reichert, Editor-in-Chief, Southern Writers Magazine

Winter will soon be here…its right around the corner. Before it gets here, you will want to make sure you have all the things you need to write this winter. So get a pen and paper and let’s make a list.  After all, even writers have chores. We have to make sure we get everything done.

1.    Make sure the outside and inside of your windows are clean. Why? When winter comes and you are sitting in front of your computer writing that best seller you will have occasion to stop typing and look out the windows. You will be in a thinking process working out dialogue or a scene and being able to see clearly out the window helps the thinking process. (No Joke!)

2.    Your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Make sure you put new batteries in all of them.  What writer wants to be pounding away on a scene and all of a sudden smell smoke? If you’re like me, when you’re in a writing mode you’re practically oblivious to anything going on around you.

3.    During the winter when you are working on your book you don’t realize how dry your skin is becoming with the heat on; when the air gets dry it can cause sinus problems too. So get a humidifier. If you have one, make sure you clean it out.

4.    Because the air does get dry with the heater on make sure you keep plenty of water handy and drink it throughout your writing. Don’t get dehydrated.

5.    Check around your windows in your office for leaks. If there is one, caulk it to prevent cold air from coming in and heat from escaping.  You don’t want to be sitting there typing away and get chilled or worse, come down with a cold.

6.    Clean up your space around your writing desk. Clutter isn’t good for a writer.

7.    Make sure you have plenty of typing paper, ink, pens, pencils, food for munching and plenty of coffee, tea, water, sodas (if you drink them).When winter comes in with a vengeance and there is ice and/or three feet of snow on the ground getting out to get these things isn’t cool.

Well, there you have my list of must do’s for writers before winter comes to visit.

How about you, do you have some suggestions we writers could use?