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“In the middle of Winter I at last discovered that there was in me an invincible Summer.” ~ Albert Camus
Seasonal Affective Disorder
Close to the poles, nights and days are at their most extreme. While summers in the north are marked by endless days that can lead to insanity for lack of good sleep, the winter months bring the opposite. Barely any daylight and cloudy skies that prevent seeing the sun at all, sometimes for weeks on end.
How do people get through that? Humans migrated to those areas thousands of years ago and figured out ways to overcome. Mostly by making light and creating community events and festivals centered around piercing the long nights with bright lights.
Even in a world that has a lot of artificial light, we still revel in decorating trees with lights. Some cultures have night walks with lampions. Places of worship in most cultures include light festivals that coincide with the darkening of the season.
Some of the most prolific writers were afflicted by some kind of mental illness.
Franz Kafka was most likely depressed, had anxiety, and obsessive compulsive disorder. He wrote in dark and cold Prague.
Edgar Allan Poe likely also had depression and was bipolar. He wrote several of his works in cold New York.
Norse mythologies are filled with horrible monsters and gods who spend a lot of time partying at large bonfires. A clear indication that the people in those countries sought out ways to break the long nights up with merriment.
Writers are told "never begin your story with weather." But what about a whole season of weather? What about the despair that is unique to nights that last 23 hours a day? What about daylight so short that it disappears if you blink at the sky in the wrong angle? You can use these to good effect in storytelling and even make those part of the character's motivations and methods.
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Spiritual: November 05, 2025 Issue [#13432]
