I’m not writing because it’s too damn cold.
Whenever winter rolls around and the temperatures begin to drop, I find my hands unwilling to co-operate with both pen and keyboard. My fingers lock up to the point where simply trying to write is a real struggle.
Getting around this hurdle is usually easy. I rug up in my warmest clothes, pull on my hobo gloves, close up the house, and turn the heater up high. Most of the time this works, but sometimes it’s not enough.
After the cold snap we had a couple of days ago that brought frigid winds and heavy rain to Sydney, I’ve had to break out the snow gear just to keep warm, let alone write. I’ve found that a tundra rated jacket I’ve had for years works best at keeping my core warm, and consequently, keeps the circulation in my hands warm.
But if I don’t have access to the jacket, I find that a decent pair of fingerless gloves helps a little bit. Where regular gloves make me fat fingered and awkward, my hobo gloves keep my hands warm without sacrificing any manual dexterity.
Making sure your writing space is warm is also important when trying to be productive. We are creatures of comfort and are easily sidetracked by the slightest inconvenience. I’m fortunate enough that my writing space isn’t a huge cavernous space, so shutting the doors and windows, and closing the curtains usually does the trick.
And if that doesn’t work, I’ll turn the air conditioning on. It quickly heats up the small room I write in, so I don’t have to leave it running all day and night, and in combination with the jumper and gloves, I’m as snug as a bug in a rug.