Tonight the novel writing class ends, and as always, I’ll miss the unique vibe this class brought. Energetic, enthusiastic and eager, these writers remind me of me when I struggled to learn the craft, wishing there was a class I could take to guide me. So how will these novel writing students keep writing over the summer?
Writing Tip for Today: Some will attend conferences, workshops or form critique groups. Others will hire mentors or editors. Here are some things every writer can do to keep writing during the summer months:

• You can move to Oregon where the rainy, cool gray weather has forced many writers to abandon their gardening trowels for the keyboard. Seriously, if you make a plan for writing, don’t be Draconian about it. Set aside time for rest and relaxation. Winter will be back soon enough.
• Do make a plan and stick to it. If you approach summer writing in a random way, your word count production is liable to be random too.
• Set goals that match your lifestyle. If you have small children consider packing everyone to a park and write while the kiddos splash in the wading pool. Or find another mama writer who’s willing to swap writing time for babysitting or play dates. If you work at night, find a time before or after your shift to pound out those words.
• Read a lot. Many readers use beach time as a way to catch up on the reading. This summer, give the “beach read” a twist: Choose books in the same genre as you write, and read for pleasure, then go back and analyze some of the scenes: How much narration? Where’s the dialogue? Back story? etc.
• Avoid Burn Out. Finally, some writers might be feeling burned out, especially if they’re getting ready to pitch at a conference. Relax. You can’t do your best work if you’re hurried or tense. I suggest you give yourself a week off in September, after school starts, something that will refresh and restore your passion to write. Whether it’s a couple days in the mountains, at the beach or even your own backyard, read an inspiring book such as Annie Dillard’s The Writing Life, Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird or On Writing by Stephen King.