Summer Bucket List: Productive Writer Edition

The days are longer, the air is warmer and Chicagoans are emerging from their apartments in search of summer fun. Growing up, my summer plans were always very simple: do as little of anything resembling “work” as humanly possible. These days my mindset is a little different when it comes to the warmer months.

My plans for this summer do involve a fair amount of lounging around (preferably somewhere where I can see dogs), strolling street festivals (eating as many hotdogs as possible) and weekend trips out of the city (nature!). But as our wise Creative Director Melissa wrote in her bucket list post from 2016: “A summer bucket list doesn’t have to consist of purely entertainment. It can also be…wait for it… Productive.” Well. If you insist.

To expand my writerly brain and get the creative juices flowing, I’ve come up with my own Summer Bucket List: The Productive Writer Edition. Without further ado:

Write

It may seem like an odd goal considering I spend almost every day writing for work, but the truth is I very rarely tackle any sort of creative writing outside of my job. Any writer will tell you that one of the most important ways to improve your writing is to simply write, and write often. Thinking creatively all day, everyday, can be draining. But like any creative pursuit, sometimes trying a new medium, topic or style can shake things loose and help you divert from your usual route to arrive at something new and interesting.

Read

Reading improves writing, plain and simple. As a self-proclaimed bookworm, my summer reading stack is already ambitiously tall, full of new releases and classics alike. This year, among all my fiction reads, I plan to dedicate some space on my list for books involving the practice of writing, copywriting or advertising. When I was first starting my career as a copywriter, I read through books like Hey Whipple, Squeeze This and poured over classic ads, hoping to siphon off some creative genius. It’s been years since I picked up any sort of book relating to copywriting or the world of advertising. I think it’s about time I take a spin through those topics again.

Psst. If you have any suggestions, by all means comment below! I’d love to hear what books inspire you or your work.

Grammar Goals

Everything that comes through the BatesMeron office must be proofread to perfection. Although I feel confident about my grammar and spelling skills, there are still bits and pieces of grammar I can’t seem to remember. I often find myself turning to the great Google machine to double check more obscure rules or the proper spelling of new language. And while the internet is always there in a pinch, a good old-fashioned grammar workbook might be just the ticket to finally remembering which part of speech the predicate nominative is.

Not Writing

I know I just said that I should be writing more, and I will (I swear!), but I also know that whenever I have a hobby that has absolutely nothing to do with my work, I think more creatively. I’ve always been a reader and writer, but breaking out of that comfort zone and trying new artistic endeavors could be what I need to really keep the brain juices flowing.

There you have it. Amid my sunning, eating and relaxing, I’ll also be tackling some of these productive bucket list items to make the most of my summer.

What are some of your productivity-focused summer plans? Let us know below, or drop us a line on Facebook.