Writing fiction carries us to far away places and other worlds but there is something truly wonderful no
matter where you are. I know city lights are lovely and the wild activity of busy cities have a real draw for some people, but look around. Enjoy what you have where you are right now.
I am in love with my neighborhood deer baby who visits me each morning. I feed hundreds of birds, even a bunch of pheasants. They keep me company as I sit at my computer, but take time to look out the window. Because I am a morning person, the kind people who like to “sleep in” hate, I watch the sky each morning. Up before sunrise has its advantages. If you are focused, you can have a day’s worth of writing done before noon. Writers write whenever they can fit it into busy schedules, for me, the time before dawn is my favorite and most productive. It always has been. But for night owls who write, I encourage you to take a break and go outside to enjoy the night sky.
http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/earthskys-meteor-shower-guide
If you like to watch the stars like I do, you may enjoy following EarthSky. After growing up in a small northern MN town with black nights and few lights, I grew to love watching the night sky. Meteor showers are great fun. One summer here in MT, my husband and I even took our octogenarian aunt and uncle high on a mountainside after midnight to star-gaze and watch a meteor shower. They loved it. Two meteor showers are coming soon, one in early January and another in April.
Right now, you can see the moon drawing closer to Jupiter. If you consult EarthSky, you will know how to identify those brighter stars near the moon. January 21st is a great night to look up into a dark sky. The moon and Jupiter will have their closest conjunction until 2026.
When we lived in Alaska, the dark long winters provided wonderful sky-watching. The northern lights were so brilliant and changing, I found watching them mesmerizing, addicting. It is like looking into an ever-changing roaring campfire. It’s better than television.
Author Betty Kuffel, MD 