Where Do Writers Go In The Summer?

Where have I been? Well, to put it simply, I have been living my writerly life! The summer break has afforded me the time to read, write and live my writing life to it fullest.

I was fortunate to be given a small journal by a teacher I worked with last year and I made a decision that this notebook would be used to capture the summer of 2010- 2011. I guess you could call it my Summer Notebook. I still added entries to my other notebook, but I wanted to use my summer notebook to write more exclusively around the essence of the summer season. I started out with the aim of filling every page, but I seriously underestimated the number of pages, and the time at my disposal. Still, I am well pleased with the entries I have, and can see much potential for more extensive writing from my summer ‘catch.’ Entries cover a wide range of summer experiences including,- whooping cough, Christmas, tourists, butterflies, cicadas, beach etiqutte, movies, making Anzac biscuits and so on...

I have come to more fully appreciate the value of my iphone. Each day I have set my myself the challenge of capturing an image from the day and adding it to my summer snaps. I will eventually use these photographs to create a digital story of my summer experiences.  The photographs act as a stimulus for my daily notebook entries as well. It’s amazing what captures one’s attention. From something as simple as a crack in the footpath, to a piece of stencilled art at the base of a wall, to a sailing vessel at anchor in the bay –all good fodder for the writer who wants to live in the moment and later in retrospect.

I have not been neglecting my reading life either. The summer reads are often the most satisfying. Lazing about with a good book is a respectable summer pastime.


A morning by the creek-butterflies and buddleias.

Something of an underperformer this summer!

A morning walk and a discarded dummy. Accidentally ropped or did somebody actually 'spit the dummy?'
To top off my writing life, I have been completing the final edits to my manuscript, ‘Igniting Writing, - When A Teacher Writes due for release, hopefully in February. My anticipation builds…

So as the new school year ranges up on the horizon, I am ready to go. I hope you have found some time to invest in the ‘writes of summer.’

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