April Fool’s, April Showers…and Apparently, April Sneezes

April has always been a bit of a trickster.

One day it’s sunshine and birdsong, the next it’s sideways rain and a wind that feels personally offended by your existence. And right in the middle of it all? April Fool’s Day—because of course the month itself needed a sense of humor.

But if April is playing jokes this year, I’m fairly certain pollen is in on it.

Because nothing says “spring is here” quite like stepping outside, taking a deep, hopeful breath… and immediately regretting every life choice that led you to that moment.

The Great April Setup

April begins with possibility.

Writers love April. There’s something about it—the thawing earth, the soft return of green, the sense that anything could begin again. Ideas feel closer. Energy shifts. Even your coffee tastes more optimistic.

You think:
This is it. This is the month I get things done.

April smiles politely.

Then—bam.

  • Rainstorms that arrive without warning
  • Mud in places mud should never be
  • And pollen… floating through the air like nature’s version of glitter

Except glitter doesn’t make your eyes itch and your brain feel like it’s wrapped in cotton.

April Showers… and Side Effects

We’ve all heard it since childhood:

April showers bring May flowers.

Lovely. Poetic. Hopeful.

What they don’t tell you is that April showers also bring:

  • Sudden downpours when you forgot your umbrella
  • Damp notebooks (a personal offense)
  • And pollen blooms that turn your peaceful writing session into a sneeze-powered cardio workout

Somewhere out there, the flowers are thriving.

Meanwhile, the rest of us are wondering if we can write a novel while breathing through one nostril.

Nature’s Little Joke

There’s a certain irony in it all.

April Fool’s Day reminds us not to take things too seriously. That life has a sense of humor—even when it’s mildly inconvenient.

And honestly? Spring follows that same rule.

Just when everything looks beautiful and full of promise…
you get hit with rain.
Or allergies.
Or both.

It’s as if nature is saying:

“Yes, you may have renewal… but you’ll have to sneeze your way through it.”

A Writer’s Perspective

And yet—this is the good part.

Because April, for all its chaos, is alive.

It’s unpredictable. Messy. A little uncomfortable. But underneath all of that? Things are growing.

Stories work the same way.

  • The idea doesn’t arrive clean and perfect
  • The process isn’t smooth or controlled
  • And sometimes, just when you think you’ve got it figured out… everything shifts

That’s not failure.

That’s April.

That’s creation.

Permission to Be a Little Unpolished

So if your writing this month feels scattered…
If your focus drifts like pollen on the wind…
If your plans get rained on (literally or otherwise)…

You’re not behind.

You’re in season.

April isn’t about perfection. It’s about movement. About stirring things up. About letting ideas get a little muddy before they bloom.

And yes—sometimes about laughing when things don’t go as planned.

Final Thought (Before the Next Sneeze)

So here’s to April:

To the jokes we didn’t see coming.
To the rain we didn’t plan for.
To the pollen we definitely didn’t ask for.

And to the quiet, persistent magic happening underneath it all.

Even when your eyes are watering and your notebook is damp…

Something is growing.

It began on the pages of a journal…

Sherry Briscoe has two passions: writing and working with writers. She has lived in Europe, and both the East and West Coasts of the U.S., has snorkeled with the stingrays and strolled through centuries-old castles. Her experiences have enriched her life and more importantly, her stories. (keep reading)