Writing Through the Holidays: How to Stay Creative When Life Gets Busy

From Edie: Learn how to stay focused and creative during the holiday season without burnout. These simple, realistic tips will help writers protect their writing time, enjoy the festivities, and still make meaningful progress on their projects.

Writing Through the Holidays: How to Stay Creative When Life Gets Busy

by Larry J. Leech, II @LarryJLeechII

Oh, the insanity is about to begin. That mad rush to the end of the year. 

• Watching Hallmark movies.
• Holiday travel.
• Cooking holiday meals.
• Baking holiday goodies.
• Christmas plays.
• The parties. Oh, so many parties.
• Wrapping presents.
• Watching the calendar flip from 2025 to 2026.

Some people love it. Others, well, not so much. They’d probably rather hibernate and wake up in March.

Each of the above alone could cause stress. All of them together, well, be wary of someone approaching with a strait jacket in their hands. 

The older I get, the more I must remember that I:

• Absolutely positively prioritize family.
• Meditate.
• Remember the real ‘reason for the season.’
• Can’t ‘do it all.’
• Get plenty of sleep.
• Somehow manage gift-giving.
• Must decide if an event is really important.
• Meet one-on-one with people instead of in large groups.
• Exercise. 
• Remember loved ones who have passed away.
• Respond with kindness.

But, but, but what about that writing-related project, you say? 

Well, give it the attention it needs, obviously without sacrificing time with family or friends. Yeah, I know, it needs done. We all have deadlines this time of the year. Squeezing out the final push of the manuscript is easy for those with a lot of energy. For those who don’t, the added pressure of finishing by a certain date can suffocate creativity and make the process feel like torture.

Don’t despair. You can cross the finish line with determined focus and uninterrupted time. Spend just thirty minutes a day writing or editing. That’s it. One can accomplish a lot in 1,800 seconds. Pick one. Don’t do both. Focus is the key.

Close your email. Get off social media. Put your phone on silent. Crank some music, if that helps. Whatever you do, stay focused. 

Years ago, an author felt the urge to write a novel. A homeschooling mom of four teenagers, she had no clue how to carve out the time to write. After much thought, she explained to the family one night at dinner that she would commit to writing at the top of the hour from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The remaining 50 minutes she would homeschool the kids. Interruptions would be permitted for two circumstances—the kids were killing each other or had set the house on fire. She wrote her novel within a year—ten minutes at a time.

Because she focused.

Give your project the focus it needs so you can enjoy the holiday season doing all the fun stuff you want between now and 2026.

I will do the same. But first, time to kick back and watch another Hallmark movie and see if it has come up with a second storyline. 

TWEETABLE

Writing Through the Holidays: How to Stay Creative When Life Gets Busy from @LarryJLeechII on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Usually with a hot beverage nearby, Larry J. Leech II spends his days working with words—as a writing coach of award-winning authors, as well as Acquisitions Editor and Master Book Coach for Illumify Media. More than forty years ago, Larry started his career as a sportswriter in southwestern Pennsylvania where he covered prep sports, college sports, and the Pittsburgh Pirates and Steelers. In 2004, after 2,300 published articles, Larry shifted to book publishing. Since that time, he has ghostwritten thirty books, edited more than 450 manuscripts, and coached hundreds of authors through the writing and publication process. For nearly two decades Larry has taught at numerous general market and inspirational conferences nationwide. When he has a minute, Larry likes to hang out on Facebook and Instagram. You can also find out more about him on his website: larryleech.com.