Make It Your Own
Merry Christmas!
I once read that prolific author Stephen King says he writes every day—except Christmas. Then he added that wasn’t true. He also writes on Christmas. He just didn’t want to sound too obsessed.
Do these sound like writing goals to you? Or writing pressure? Do you feel like, wow, if Stephen King writes every day like that—and look at his success—then that’s what I have to do, too?
Perhaps you have more time to write over the holidays, so you think you should. But perhaps you don’t want to. Perhaps, if you’ve found a spare minute in all the holiday madness, you just want to… sit. Relax. Enjoy your family and friends. Or perhaps you don’t have extra time. Perhaps the season makes you crazy busy (or just crazy). Or perhaps your schedule doesn’t change, so there really is no extra time.
It doesn’t matter what your writing situation is this last week of December—or what other people do with their writing time (Stephen King included). What matters is to be on the lookout for all the “shoulds” in your writing life—and eliminate them. If you want to write every day, Christmas, included, go for it! If you don’t—then don’t!
Keep the joy of writing by keeping to a writing schedule that works for you.
In other words, give yourself the gift of compassion.
Happy Holidays!