Image Credit: Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos
Springtime is one of my favourite times of the year. The other one is autumn, funnily enough. I like both ends of the spectrum. Life as it begins and life as it begins to ebb and fade.
I love spotting the Virginia Creeper in our area and seeing it change colour from red to green and back again. Lovely plant. As I walk the dog it is great to spot the crocuses and other spring flowers emerging, though I am a little saddened my snowdrops have now finished.
It is great being able to walk Lady in the early evening and still be in daylight when only a month or so ago, the same time would have seen me coming back home with her in the dark. It also means we can put her light up collar away for a bit. It is odd walking with a glow in the dark dog (at least around her collar!) though she doesn’t care.
Creative Celebration
The creative world celebrates spring in many ways. Think classical music and the first thought which comes to me is Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and especially Spring from that. I first heard that while waiting to be connected to someone on oh so many phone calls. Now hearing the proper version on Classic FM, I hate the tinny version you get on the phone. I am sure Vivaldi would hate it too (and the fact he has had no royalties!).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-dYNttdgl0
I also think of Pachelbel’s Canon in D at this time of year but then given it is so closely associated with weddings, which so often take place at this time of year, this is hardly surprising. It’s an amazing piece of music though and even more so when you consider it is based on only eight notes. I wonder how long it took him to write it. From a writing viewpoint I know something which looks simple often takes a lot of work and crafting to get to that point. I should imagine that would be the same for composing music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvNQLJ1_HQ0
As for the written word, mention of spring immediately makes me think of Wordsworth and his host of golden daffodils. It is always a lovely image to conjure up and I’ve been delighted to see so many lovely daffodils out in our area. I think of them as cheery little plants with that splash of yellow.
Going on to novels I adore P.G. Wodehouse’s Uncle Fred In the Springtime. For a long time, my favourite Wodehouse characters were Jeeves and Wooster and I still adore them. The Fry and Laurie portrayals of these characters helped a lot here. But I then went on to discover the joys of Lord Emsworth and Blandings and from there on to the lively (and that is an understatement!) Uncle Fred. If you want a good chuckle, I highly recommend, well, practically anything by Wodehouse. I even like his golf stories and I hate the game. Sorry, but I agree with the quote about “golf being a good walk ruined”.
Another book I associate with spring is the fantastic The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, simply because it is a fabulous feel good story and spring, I think, is a feel good season.
The Flip Side and Seasonal Highlights
Now before someone mentions hayfever, yes, I know, but I guess there is a price to pay for enjoying all those lovely flowers. And I find a good antihistamine keeps the worst at bay.
I do sometimes write seasonal flash fiction stories. Hannah Kate who broadcasts her book show on North Manchester FM has recently had her Spring Equinox special. I forgot to send something in but I hope to do so later in the year for her autumn and festive specials. I must remember to try and do the spring one as well next year.
Writing events often start from the spring. Bournemouth is having its Writing Festival again in April. See the link for more information.
Artful Scribe have a number of events in our area. See the link for more information.
Thoughts for “using” Spring in your Writing
There are various ways in which you can use any of the seasons in your own writing and my list below can only be a partial one. Why not see what you can do with the following in your work?
Have the season as a backdrop to the action of your story. What difference would the better and longer daylight levels have on your story and what your characters can and cannot do as a result? Also think about how the increased light levels would have an impact on your characters’ moods and resultant attitudes and actions.
Think about whether you use spring to start a story or end it. With the latter, there is the potential for a bad situation to be resolved in some way against the backdrop of what is considered a hopeful season, spring. There could be some useful metaphor here from going from dark (winter) to light (spring). Readers will pick up on that link. It is all the better, I think, for being a subconscious one. The best writing does not lay its message out with a trowel! Stories which have tended to make me think more have been those which have been subtle in using things like the seasons to reflect on the overall mood of the tales.
Does spring make it less or more difficult for your character to carry out a course of action? Has the change of the season forced them to change plans?
Your character is named after something associated with spring – e.g. Lily. Do they like the connection or loathe it? What do they do to make the most of that link or to get away from it as much as possible? There is potential for humour here too.
Also we think about holidays and maybe start to take them. What do your characters do here? Where would they go? Could their “adventure” happen as a result of them being away from their usual setting?
Conclusion
Whether you write or not, I hope you have a lovely spring time. I intend to make the most of it – as does the dog!
I’m also looking forward to The Chameleons’ spring production too. They’re staging Sudden Death at Thornbury Manor (I so wanted to type Thornbury Wood there but resisted!) in April. Sounds like fun especially since the audience can get to interrogate the cast about “who done it”. Hope to report back on this in due course.
Related Posts:-
Read interviews with Chandler’s Ford writer Allison Symes: Part 1 and Part 2.
Read blog posts by Allison Symes published on Chandler’s Ford Today.
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