How are you finding writing inspiration this summer? How are you celebrating the last few weeks of August?

I think of August as a month to luxuriate in summer—long walks, biking to Casey Farm and home with a backpack full of leafy greens, handpicked veggies—from staples of string beans and parsley to the more exotic edamame and ground cherries.

I’ve enjoyed visits from my sister, brother, nieces and nephew—painting watercolors on the beach, climbing boulders, touring a mansion (the luxury above as well as the underground tour of boiler rooms and electrical systems) and plenty of cookouts with bonfires under the stars while the waves crash against the rocks.

It’s as if summer fills us with warmth and inspiration for the colder months ahead (at least in New England).

It seems to me that at the beginning of the summer, in June and July, life became too busy and hectic. By August, I’ve found a more relaxed pace of fun, family activities, creativity, social activities and rest.

With less time for writing, teaching or other work, I limited my work schedule to a handful of consultations, editing projects and book proposals.

Inspired by a new client who writes and teaches about working with our dreams, I began to journal again, writing all my dreams down in the journal pictured to the right (sorry for the blurry photo from my awful phone camera!).

I so enjoy discovering the symbolism in dreams and witnessing the shifting of my inner landscape as Kari Hohne has guided me with interpretation, exercises and questions to better understand the messages and gifts my dreams hold. How fun to see how, as I pay attention to the dream symbols, other symbols and synchronicities show up in waking life—the coyote crossing the road, then baying outside my window the next night; the iceberg on the cover of my dream journal that I failed to notice until Kari pointed out the frequency of iceberg images. You can see the polar bears had a good chuckle about it!

And, of course, as we engage such inner work, we are rewarded. Suddenly, creativity starts pouring out of me.

Today, inspired by painting with my sister, niece, son and mother-in-law on the beach last week, I began work on a new course for the fall that applies some of the inspiration of our watercolor painting experiences to writing and creativity. I can’t wait to share it with you.

In the meantime, I invite you to enjoy the final weeks of August. What is this special month like for you and how do the activities of August affect your writing? Are you more prolific or less? How do summer activities influence your writing and inspire you? Do you write outdoors? Do you journal more? Please share your experiences and writing inspiration as a comment below.

Three lucky commenters will win a book by my client or course participant. Prizes include:

An Oasis in Time: How a Day of Rest Can Save Your Life by Marilyn Paul

So Happiness to Meet You: Foolishly, Blissfully Stranded in Vietnam by Karin Esterhammer

Full: How I Learned to Satisfy My Insatiable Hunger and Feed My Soul by Kimber Simpkins

Share your summer writing inspiration or experience and you may win one of these inspiring books.