I love summers in the southeastern United States. Picnics, baseball, sliding down slick rocks in the river. And there are always the parades. Kicking off with Memorial Day, it seems summer is packed with an endless supply of them.

Summer in the south also brings storms. Most any afternoon, you can look to the horizon and see some sort of storm brewing. And, most likely, it’s right in the middle of your parade route.

Just like parades and storms sort of go hand in hand, so do summers and your manuscript. Your best laid plans for hammering out word count can easily wind up a soggy mess. So what is a diligent author to do? Here are just a few things you could do:

1) Buy an umbrella. Ok, maybe not literally but you seriously need some way to keep you out of the storm of your day—a literary umbrella of sorts. It won’t prevent the storm, but it might keep you dry in the midst of it.

2) Expect the rain. You knew it’s going to happen. Plan for it. Just like Floridians arrange their daily activities for before or after the storm, write before the storm hits. That way, it’s just rain.

3) Change your parade route. If the torrential downpours in your day cause a flash flood down your main street, you don’t have to abandon the parade. Just turn a corner and walk a different way. You’ll still get there and, at the end of the day, that’s what really matters.

4) Learn to dance in the rain. Your success or failure when it rains on your parade has little to do with the event. Yet, it has everything to do with you and how you react to it. What’s a little detour? Trust me, you’ll feel so much better if you learn to dance in the rain.

It’s officially summer. Enjoy it. Use it to your advantage. Get the out of it and don’t worry about the parade. Yeah, it’s gonna rain on it, but who cares?! It’s summer! Put the hotdogs and burgers on the grill and your Book Buddy in your beach bag.

You really can do both. Trust me. I know. Enjoy them. Love your summer!