by Cindy Sproles @CindyDevoted
We all experience it—the wintertime slump. We've worked hard in our writing all year, attending conferences, practicing, and using all we've learned. The holidays are approaching, and the season's business hits. Turkey, family, Christmas—need I go on?
Of course not. You know what I'm talking about. Writing tends to take second place to all the other things the holidays bring. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing sinful about putting your family ahead of your writing, but that doesn't mean you put your work in progress to sleep for three months.
It's a given that October, November, and December are the most challenging months to write. Then the pressure hits when January rolls around, and we've done nothing for three months. Suddenly, those spring conferences are rushing up on us. So, how do we find a happy medium?
The old saying you hear at conferences is simple—just keep writing. And though that is true to a certain extent, the old adage, "things in moderation" also rings true.
If you are writing as a hobby, laying off the craft for three months will give you squeaky wheels. But three months in the writing tank can be devastating if you write as a career. The best way to manage this sometimes unmanageable career is to keep writing.
If you are working under a contract with a publisher, it is not uncommon for editors to work to clear their desks before the holidays. This accomplishment is good for them, but it can be tricky for the writer who receives the deadline. Where editors may be able to clear their desks for the holiday season, the work falls to yours because their clearing brings deadlines for you that will inevitably fall on a holiday week.
Let me offer you my personal routine and suggest that you modify this timeline to your work and time frame.
My last novel edits came to me in October. There was a December 20th deadline. Rats. That took my Thanksgiving and Christmas to a new level. Here's what I did. To meet my deadline early and allow myself time to enjoy the holidays, I divided the number of chapters in my book into the number of weeks before my deadline.
I had roughly 14 weeks to complete my edits, which on paper seemed like a lifetime, but the truth was, I had 40 chapters to edit. When I did the math (well, my husband did the math), I needed to complete 2 ½ chapters per week. That seemed doable.
I promptly listed the 14 weeks on a sheet of paper and then added the chapter numbers for each week. Week 1: Oct. 1-7, chapters 1-2. Week 2: Oct. 8-14, Chapters 3-4, etc. Then, I marked out weekends and holidays. I still needed to complete just over two chapters a week, but I could manage what I did each day. The next thing I did was set hours. When would I work only on edits, and when would I write on the blog posts and dated articles, I had to continue to pump out monthly? All these things were written on my timeline. Finally, I stuck to my timeline.
What I found was that I ended up doing four chapters a week instead of two. Once I was in edit mode and my time set, I could focus and even turn out more work than I expected. To my surprise, I finished my edits two weeks early. This work happened because I'd made a strict timeline and adhered to it.
Of course, there were days I didn't feel like writing, but because I'd stuck to my timeline, I could allow myself the freedom to work more or less depending on how much I'd already accomplished.
Am I always this rigid? I wish, but no. The point is I am a person who is constantly on the move. I have been since childhood. This trait means I quickly become distracted or put things off for another day. By making myself a timeline, I accomplished the work and completed it early and still got my blogs and articles turned in on time. Let's not forget I freed up Christmas completely.
That writers conference phrase, "write daily," works. You don't have to write a novel in a day, but it helps to write even small bits daily. When we do this, we don't lose track of where we are in our work and don't have to backtrack. Our creativity can continue to flow even when we have tons to do. Think of eating an elephant one bite at a time. We don't feel overwhelmed when things are broken into bite-sized pieces.
Even when I am not on a book deadline, I break my week into writing moments, assuring that everything I am responsible for is the priority. Then, I pencil in my writing and those goals for the week. Because of this, I never miss a deadline. I have never missed one in the past.
Plan your week. Work your writing into your daily plan, even if it's only a few hundred words. The fact is you are writing. After all, Rome wasn't built in a day, but you can accomplish a lot by making a timeline that 1) helps you see the need, 2) keeps you on track, and 3) helps you complete the work (most of the time) early.
You may say, I'm not close to being published, so why write daily? Well, practice does keep you in the craft and continues to hone your skills. Writing daily allows you to remain creative and not be stifled by going backwards. When you establish the habit, it's not hard to write daily and if you aren't published, the work you apply each day will bring that dream to fruition sooner.
Make a timeline. Utilize this easy help that will organize the hard-to-accomplish tasks.
TWEETABLE
Featured Image: Photo by Joshua Mayo on Unsplash
Great reminder. I went overseas for 26 days and the week before I was focused on getting ready. I had to reread the 15 chapters I'd written just to recall where I was in the story. I chose not to write while on vacation. It was a fun refresing time but getting back in the groove is a challenge. Thanks for reminding me what I need to do.
ReplyDeleteBacktracking can be hard.
DeleteAs the old saying goes, "Inch by inch, anything's a cinch!" Thank you for reminding us of this, Cindy.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome.
DeleteThanks, Cindy. Hope y’all are doing great!
ReplyDeleteVery well. Thank you.
ReplyDelete