Three Ideas To Inspire Your Writing During The Holidays and Christmas Wishes

At certain times of the year, it can be more of a challenge to get into a productive frame of mind. Here are three tips to keep you on top of your writing during the holidays.

  

Travel as fodder for sparkling settings
Whether you are driving or boarding a flight to a holiday destination, there are hundreds of ideas to help with the setting of your story. Tap into your surroundings, engage your senses and always have a notebook ready.
 
Use family relationships for character development and dynamic scenes
During the festive season, unresolved family disagreements flare up. Use the opportunity to play the role of keen observer of both the verbal and non-verbal aspects. Complicated relationships in families is great fodder for a story and dinner table conversation can yield interesting information.
 
A Twist On Morning Relaxation
If the opportunity arises, make mention of your desire to 'sleep in' so as not to be disturbed. Then put in an hour or two of solid work in the privacy of your room, before you appear at the morning table.

Hopefully, you'll find time to write over the holidays and if not, indulge in some reading.
And most of all, find peace and joy in the season.
And believe.
Believe 2019 will be great.
  "May you have warmth in your igloo, oil in your lamp, and peace in your heart." Eskimo Proverb

The IWSG Administrators would like to thank you for your support. We wish you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. We will see you again on January 2nd for IWSG post day when we announce the winners of the 2018 IWSG Anthology Contest.
 

How to Maintain Your Writing Sanity During the Holidays

With the holidays coming up, many writers begin to stress. Here are a few tips for surviving without losing your sanity:

Pay attention to details and people. You’ll probably be around a lot of people and maybe in some new locations. Take advantage of it. Jot down notes about what you see and what people say.

Let family know you need a small block of time to write. If you let everyone know you need thirty minutes first thing in the morning or a little time before dinner, you’re more likely to get that slot of time to actually write. You can call it a little personal time or treat it as a business and say you have to do a little work.

Use down time and travel time well. Maybe you’re visiting the West Coast from the East Coast - and your body still wants to wake up early. Use that time to write. Or perhaps you are traveling in a car or by plane. Don some headphones and tune out the world around you to write.

Set a routine but be flexible. A designated time to write will prompt you to do so. But maybe one evening during your scheduled writing time, the family wants to go out and look at Christmas lights. It’s okay - write later or the next day.

Don’t expect too much of yourself. Yes, we just came off a productive NaNoWriMo month. But the holidays are about spending time with people and celebrations. Don’t expect a NaNo pace unless you’re having a really tiny Christmas and a lot of time off. Ease back and relax a little.

Know you don’t have to do it all. There will be parties and gatherings and family - you don’t have to attend everything. Also know there will be days that you might not get to write. Again, that’s okay. Maybe the holidays should be a break from writing.

The holidays should be joyous. Don’t let your family or a lack of writing keep you from enjoying it.

We'd like to welcome our newest member to the IWSG Admin Team - Tyrean Martinson.

Tyrean will be running our IWSG Instagram account.

The IWSG Admins would like to wish you happy holidays. We will see you again on January 3rd for IWSG post day when we announce the winners of the 2017 IWSG Anthology Contest.

In the meantime, we invite you to visit some of our most popular posts this week and thank you for helping us become a Writer’s Digest 101 Best Website for Writers.

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