Midwinter Spring Is its Own Season

Hello Dear Writers,

I am reminded this week of T.S. Eliot’s line, Midwinter spring is its own season, and how this time between winter and spring is a place of holding or waiting in our writing practice. Perhaps you are waiting for inspiration or moving away from practices which haven’t served you. These times suspended between a sudden frost or tropic sun can be hopeful places where Eliot calls “hedges,” where you can “find sweetness” in alternate routes.

I find myself betwixt and between—finishing projects, scratching out something new to get me going in a new direction, and (for me, a big one) always, always striving to have faith and confidence in what I write. So today I made a list. Folding my paper in half, I wrote “midwinter spring” and listed all the practices which are not working for me. On the other half, I wrote “hedge sweetness” and listed all the practices, habits, ideas I want to spring toward. I’m keeping the list in my notebook to remind me of where I’m going. Let me know if you try this exercise and find it helpful for you in your practice.

Here’s to hedges and finding sweetness in our writing,

Summer