What Gets You Writing?

I wake up to an overcast sky that drapes over everything like a fuzzy gray blanket.  Coffee is brewing downstairs, its aroma pulling me out of bed like the cartoon finger wafting in the air.  There is a dampness in the air that tells of the cold winter to come, bidding goodbye to the blithe heat of summer.  Though there are tasks to be done- lunches to be made, children to be fed, clothed, and sent to school- I feel the ache inside me that longs for black on white; words on a page.  

I got to thinking this morning, are there certain cues that call forth the writer in me?  In all of us?  I can tell you that cloudy days make me want to write exponentially more than sunny ones.  I get far more writing done in winter than in summer, suggesting that the writer-hermit in me is a seasonal one.  Certain smells can cue ideas as well; coffee is a definite trigger, but fire, rain, fresh-baked cookies, and wet dirt are all aromas that get the writing gears turning in my brain.  Moods can sway my motivation to write as well.  When I am overjoyed, I don't feel the urge to write as much as when I am wistful or melancholy.  Places can be triggers, too.  For some reason, I always get ideas for stories or poems while driving in the car, especially in the morning when my mind is clear.

It's kind of fun to be introspective about the process every now and again.  Figuring out your own triggers and cues could help you become more productive in your writing.  If you know you are more inclined in the morning than the evening, try to clear your morning to allow yourself time.  If you are more seasonally-minded as I am, try not to stress yourself out in the summer when the words just aren't flowing.  If that piece of apple pie sends your mind down avenues you can't help exploring, then stock up on pie and have a slice during your writing periods.

I've offered up my own triggers that get me writing; now I'm curious about yours.  What gets you writing?