This is going to sound like a lot of advice that I gave when I was talking about writing and Thanksgiving. There are a few new ideas, but yes, the idea is still the same. We're trying to shape writing around the real life responsibilities that you have. It's never easy and even more so during the holiday season because there's a lot more oomph to what needs to get done. You need to make sure that everything is clean for visitors, make sure that everything is festive enough, and all while trying not to stress out too much about it.
Yeah, I'm getting tense just thinking about it. You're not alone in that.
So, what are we going to do? Well, for one, there are going to be times when you need to sit. You'll have done a hour or two of work and feel like you need a break. Make sure that you have an open word document or whatever you use to write and try to write 100 words. If you can't make anything come, then just try to free write for 100 words to see if something comes. If, when you hit 100 words, you feel that you should get up to do something else, then you should. However, if you hit 100 words but want to continue, then you continue. The idea here is to write until you feel that you need to get up. So, if that's just 100 words, then that's great. If you go beyond 100 words, see how you feel when you hit 200. Then maybe 300. And so on. However, the hard stop time when you need to get up and go back to what needs to get done is when you're at the end of your chapter. Then you open a new document and go back to what you're doing until you need to sit again.
Another idea is to take the stress out of writing. Yes, you've written for x amount of days in a row and you want to keep that up. Lower what your target is, just for a few weeks, so you're still writing but it's not stressing you out. If you start writing and want to go to your original target? That's great and you should do so. But if you're starting to worry about things to get done, then hit the lower target and then go get the things done. You've still got words, even if they're smaller than you want, and you can always come back. Either at the end of the day or the next to continue what you're doing. Then you feel less like a lump and more that you're more productive.
The last is the most drastic and I actually don't fully recommend it but I'm putting it down here anyways. Give up something that you're doing for fun and write instead. Instead of binge watching a program, write for that time instead. Again, I don't recommend this because we all need to destress. Writing, for all the good things it does, sometimes doesn't feel that way. It feels like it ramps our bodies up and then we want to do a million things at once. So, if you feel like the only way you're going to get your writing in for the day is to cut something out, then you should. However, I would ask you to think long and hard about it. Are you going to start resenting your writing for having to give up what you like to do or watch? If the answer is yes or if you start to feel that way, then you should pick up whatever you gave up for your writing time. It does seem odd, that I'm recommending / not recommending this, but I feel like all the advice should be given and you decide what's best for you.
So, yes, those are my three ways to write during the holiday season when you're supposed to be prepping the house. What are your ways? Feel free to leave a comment below or poke me on Facebook or Twitter. Until next time, keep on writing!
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