Genre by the Season

I hiked the jungles of Malaysia.

My mind is constantly flip flopping from one genre to the other and it happens seasonally. Why does this happen? This isn't a rhetorical question....please tell me, because it makes writing the previous genre harder when your mind is living in a different one. 

This can bring in the point of a writer needing to write and work when their idea is still hot in the head. Inevitably the next great idea will come and pull you away from the last one. AND that is the problem I face every couple of months. In fact, it is affecting me right now. 

I got distracted and thought of several "bright ideas" that interfered with my current work, Caribbean Gold.

Now I will continue to ramble on in a vaguely coherent manner. 

Fantasy Season

When winter comes and it gets cold, my mind drifts to images of High Fantasy like Lord of the Rings. I want to write and world build about lands full of dragons and wizards and all that nerdy shit. Images of snow swept peaks and dark coniferous forests full of foreboding play in my head. What lays waiting in the ruins of the ancient elven city marked on the map?

Good lord I should be living in my parents basement...except they don't have one...

During winter I play lengthy fantasy RPG's, even D&D. I re-read LOTR.

I world build using fantasy map making software.  I conjure up epic battles between good and evil, develop nations and empires, play god over a land that only exists in my head.

I am a functional adult. I swear.

I can't help myself. It is the mood of the season and an overwhelmingly powerful force which beats me every time.

Winter is when I find myself at peak introvert levels. I don't want to go out and do much, possibly because of Seasonal Affectional Disorder. This is a good time to escape into fantasy land and an acceptable reason as to why I do it.

Adventure Season

When winter breaks and the weather warms my mind starts living in the adventure/thriller world. The heat and verdant greenery of the summer vegetation brings to mind remote jungle locations full of mysterious beasts and lost civilizations. I think of things like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's the Lost World, Indiana Jones, Congo, or Jurassic Park. I read some of these novels at least once a year, for comfort and inspiration. These are the works that I want to emulate, but in my own unique style.

This is the time of year that I want to travel and be out in the world. It is when I am most adventurous. I sometimes find myself living like a real daring explorer, kayaking through swamps full of alligators and poisonous snakes or clambering through forgotten ruins of an old logging town. 

I don't contemplate the danger until after the fact...Like when I was surrounded by water moccasins or when I chased down a 16ft gator in my 12ft kayak. My own experiences can inspire me. I always feel awesome after one of these forays into my own back yard and it makes me want to write. They also lend themselves to clearing my mind and calming my thoughts so that something coherent can be found in the mess.

This is also when I read non-fiction books, most of which can be linked to ideas I have for other stories. A writer always needs to be looking for their next idea and taking down notes when they find something cool or interesting.

Are there Other Seasons?

I'm sure there are for you, but I more or less stick to two genres in fiction and two in non-fiction (History and Science). 

I am so original...

I should design my writing schedule around these mood changes since they are constant factors. Winter = work on fantasy novel. Summer = work on adventure thrillers. The first draft would need to be completed within these seasonal time frames. I.e. before I veer off topic.

I wonder if anyone else is like this? Do you flip flop on genres? Do you do it seasonally or weekly? How do you manage your own ADD? Maybe you can give me some tips?