by DiAnn Mills
No other time of the year can be more difficult to write than at Christmas. We writers are simply distracted with all the fun and excitement this time of the year brings. The season involves creativity, and we simply can’t resist the urge to simply BE in the moment. My excuses race from one exciting activity to the next.
Time
Baking
Shopping
Wrapping gifts
Decorating cookies
Reading Christmas cards
Planning Christmas parties
Attending a choir presentation
Addressing tons of Christmas cards
Viewing my favorite Christmas movies
Trimming the tree and all over the house
Figuring out what to wear to holiday events
Napping because I’m tired from all the above
Gotta write
Gotta write
Gotta write
When I’m caught up in the when-can-I-finish-this-writing-project, I have but one solution. Time to give a gift to readers and create what I do best—story.
Here are five tips to ensure our writing is completed during the holidays while we enjoy the most wonderful time of the year.
- Grab our laptops and head to our favorite coffeehouse where music will warm our souls, the scent of coffee will tease our tastebuds, and all the while we perfect our story.
- Reward ourselves when the temptation to get involved with Christmas preparations threatens to postpone our writing. It’s psychological, but self-talk works. “Okay, All American Writer, write the next chapter to your Bestselling Novel and then you can wrap gifts and hang mistletoe.”
- Waste not a single moment. When pies, cakes, and cookies, must be baked for guests, writers are prepared. We plant our laptops on the kitchen counter and write while those delicacies are baking.
- Ride alongs are amazing. What do I mean? While husband or wife drives us to a Christmas event, we can write on our laptops. Some writers use their phones or iPads as a help while in the car. An old-fashioned method is paper and pen.
- Place our characters in the middle of a Christmas scene and live our lives vicariously through theirs. After all, that’s what our readers do!
No matter how you fit writing into your life at Christmas, don’t forget the meaning of the season. Embrace the love and joy God’s greatest gift—our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
How do you wade through the tinsel and lights to write during the holiday season?
DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; the Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests. DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. She is co-director of The Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference and The Mountainside Marketing Conference with social media specialist Edie Melson where she continues her passion of helping other writers be successful. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country.
DiAnn is very active online and would love to connect with readers on Facebook, Twitter or any of the social media platforms listed at www.diannmills.com.
Comments 1
Thanks DiAnn. I spent some time this morning, cup of coffee in hand as I sat in the dark and enjoyed the lights on the Christmas tree, reminding myself not to be so busy that I neglect time just sitting and contemplating the miracle of Christmas. What a beautiful time of year it is to be a wife, mother, daughter, friend, writer, and most especially, child of the King! Thank you for your encouragement and I wish you a very Merry Christmas!