Sometimes I move into the fast lane of life zig-zagging from one thing to another. Holiday time is in full swing right now and that means added responsibilities to the usual ones. Whatever holiday you celebrate, it comes with extra duties if we want to make the holiday memorable for our families, friends, and yes, ourselves.
Christmas is very meaningful to me and a holiday I truly love to celebrate in many ways. It allows me to show my love for family and friends with the decorating, cards, gifts, and baked goods that make my kitchen smell so good. I usually dive in headfirst and savor as much of it as I can.
One big problem with that is what happens to my writing life. I do manage to keep up with my five days a week blog posts and the requirements of my online writing group. I don't seem to have time to concentrate on my other writing projects at this time of year. Is that a major problem?
Yes, I'm afraid it is. Today's poster explains my feelings well. ...until not writing makes you anxious. Maybe it's the sign of being a true writer--wanting to write when you cannot spare the time. It seems that when I have the least time to write is when the greatest number of ideas pop into my head crying to be dealt with. What's a writer to do?
For one thing, be sure to jot those ideas down somewhere. Outline the bones of whatever it is you have thought about writing. If you don't, you know very well what happens. The whole idea can fly right into the atmosphere never to be seen again. A mind is a wonderful thing but it can hold just so much.
Steal a few minutes to write, even on the busiest days. For me, doing so has a calming effect. If I'm writing, I don't think about that difficult present to buy for my husband, or the food I need to bring to a potluck dinner, or the greeting cards that need my attention. The trick is to not get carried away and spend hours writing during these busy times. Minutes--give yourself minutes. Consider it a gift to yourself.
If inspiration strikes like a bolt of lightning and you feel compelled to run to your computer and start writing, do it. I learned long ago that Christmas, or any other holiday that is being celebrated, will arrive no matter what I have done or left undone. It's often the little things which are skipped that no one but you knows about. So, go ahead and write if you really feel the urge and don't mention those bits and pieces of the holiday magic that you can address next year.
If you write for a living, there is no question that you must continue writing, holiday or not. But, if you're a hobbyist writer, and you steal time in a busy season to write, do not feel guilty. I will repeat that--do not feel guilty.
When I have a spell of not writing, I do feel anxious because that's who I am--a writer. Writing, for me, is like breathing. It's necessary to continue my life. I know that many, many of you feel the same. Only another writer can totally understand that so don't even try to explain it to a nonwriter. They'll just shake their head and sigh and feel sorry for you. But you and I know that writing is not only necessary for us but ever so satisfying.
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