The holidays are nearly on us, and with them come extra work decorating the house, the lawn, the trees, baking all those Christmas cookies and goodies, shopping, cleaning, holiday parties to attend and give, and scads of other things that can take you away from your WIP. This year give yourself a head start with a little motivation to sit down at the computer and keep writing. Start planning now for a successful holiday writing season.
Here are a few tips on how to motivate yourself to write during the holidays.
1.
Start
your holiday motivation by spending part of one day each week doing some
holiday activity that fuels your creativity. If you celebrate Halloween get
those decorations made and put up. When that’s accomplished start making
Thanksgiving decorations for your table, bake those pies and fruitcakes, begin
making Christmas cards, build a gingerbread house, plan what Christmas cookies
you’re going to bake, build a snowman with the kids (use snow or craft paper or
pillows), or begin your shopping. You’re only limited by your own imagination.
2.
Plan
a couple of writers’ plotting and cookie exchange parties for Thanksgiving and
Christmas. Have each participant bring 2 dozen home baked cookies (which you
mixed up while writing with your tape
recorder – more later on this) and exchange cookies and plotting ideas. And
yes, this can count toward one of the writing goals.
3.
Make
a holiday advent writing calendar. Choose a series of 25 clear writing goals
for the holiday season and write them down on holiday themed paper. It doesn’t
matter if it’s a chapter a day, 100 or 1000 words a day, perfecting that blurb
or synopsis, or looking up a new editor or agent to submit to in January. Drop
the goals into a bowl and pick one each day. Not knowing what you are going to
do will keep the excitement alive, much like opening the doors on the Advent
calendar does for children. If your family already has an advent calendar when
you set it up add your goals to the calendar. Let the family number your advent
goal papers so you will be surprised when you open them. This way the family
can see what you need to accomplish and help keep you on track.
4.
Let
Santa’s “writing elf” reward you with a little gift under the tree, or holiday
snack set next to your easy chair, for each goal or week of goals you complete.
Shop for your own rewards in advance, involve the family and let them choose or
make the gifts for you, or do both.
5.
Head
to Panera’s (or some other location that has a fireplace), grab a seat next to
the fire and write until the heat overtakes you. If you work on your steamy
love scenes it might not take long for you to get overheated. Then call it a
day and have a Chai Latte while you watch the flames flicker.
6.
Leave
the decorations off of the Christmas tree and put a few ornaments on every time
you write 100, 200, 300, or 400 words—you choose the limit. Store the
decorations in a pretty basket by the tree to make them easily accessible. If
you plan a Christmas party and need the tree decorated quickly this could spur
your word count to grow rapidly.
7.
Do
a fun holiday related activity with the family with the understanding that the
next day, or hours, are yours for writing.
8.
Write
a Christmas story during your holidays. Inspiration is all around you during
the season, from music to snow, if you’re lucky enough to get it. Writing
holiday themed stories now beats putting the tree up in July, like Dolly Parton
does for inspiration when she creates Christmas songs in the summer.
9.
Work
hard in the time you’ve allotted and stay focused. This means no email, no web
surfing, and shutting the office door.
10. Use your crockpot … often. Winter’s a
great time for simple soup, chili or stew meals topped off with crusty loaf of
bread. Make double batches and you’ll have leftovers for another day. Some
soups are better reheated.
11. Write
with a tape recorder and transcribe it
after the holidays are over. A mini tape recorder fits in your pocket and is
easy to use. Some cell phones even have to ability to record voice notes. All
those times you have while you wait for the kids’ Christmas concerts to start
(because we all know you have to be there hours in advance), waiting in line for
thirty minutes at the checkout counter while holiday shopping, or mixing dough
for Christmas cookies can count as writing time.
12. At the end of the holiday season, if you met all your goals give yourself a BIG reward. You deserve it!
Share with us in the comments
what ideas you have to motivate you through the holidays to keep writing.
Here's a brief intro to our romantic shapeshifter series. We hope you'll click the link to read the blurbs.
The Promised One (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 1)
Blood Brothers (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 2)Son of the Moonless Night (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 3)
The Mercenary and the Shifters (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 4)
Putting words and stories on paper is second nature to co-authors C.D. Hersh. They’ve written separately since they were teenagers and discovered their unique, collaborative abilities in the mid-90s. As high school sweethearts and husband and wife, Catherine and Donald believe in true love and happily ever after.
They have a short Christmas story, Kissing Santa, in a Christmas anthology titled Sizzle in the Snow: Soul Mate Christmas Collection, with seven other authors.
They are looking forward to many years of co-authoring and book sales, and a lifetime of happily-ever-after endings on the page and in real life.
Love all these tips, C.D.! Perfect primers for the upcoming holidays. Wishing you all the best, and may Santa bring you many book sales this year. Ho! Ho! Ho!
ReplyDeleteI love the advent calendar idea!
ReplyDeletePlenty of creative ideas! Lovely blog.
ReplyDelete