Should you feel guilty? My feeling about this is yes and no.
Yes, because though it’s certainly okay to take the time to celebrate both holidays, it’s not okay to drop all attempts to write during the holiday season. And, no, because though holidays are fun times, writing should be fun, too.
Maybe that’s the problem. Writing’s no longer fun for you. Great Scot! How did that happen? How did something you loved to do turn into a chore? This happens more often than many of us realize--especially if something like an illness or an important event has created a hiatus. Holidays, too, can bring about a hiatus.
How can a writer get back on track? First of all review your current WIP. Can you work up any enthusiasm for getting back to it? If not, stop right there. Is there something you’ve always wanted to try to write? Even something you felt might be a waste of time?
Maybe now is the time to have a go at whatever it, waste of time or not. You’ll never know if you don’t give it a shot. Since you have no enthusiasm for your WIP right now, and you do have a yen to try this new effort, what have you got to lose? Yes, I know—writing time. Still, you’re stuck anyway. So why not? Maybe it will be a waste of time. But who knows?
BIO:
Jane Toombs has been writing ever since her father taught her how to use his old typewriter, and has been published since 1973 when her first book, Tule Witch, a gothic, came out. Tule Witch has recently been re-released as an ebook by Samhain and is up at Amazon.
BLURB:
Bebe works as an RN at a hospital. But when someone opens the door to let a dead man fall into her ER, she discovers something about herself she'd rather not know.
8 comments:
Thanks, Jane, for the much needed advice. I have been feeling lost for awhile. I have ideas, but they are brewing. An, I have other shorter ideas, but short is hard for me to write. Smile!
Good luck with your re-release.
I think we all need a break now and then, but I write every day even if it's only fifteen minutes. Getting back into it is too hard if you stop even a day or two.
I unearthed an old wip and used it for my NaNo project and suddenly writing was a joy again:)
Ohhh the blurb sounds so exciting! I am trying to keep focused on writing but my poor day job keeps getting in the way. I'm looking forward to the break from that to get some work done!
My motivation to write gets sidetracked during the holidays...too much family stuff to do!
Thanks for being here today!
Thanks for joining us today, Jane. I'm talking a necessary break to see to holiday stuff.
I so needed to read this today. Thanks for sharing.
It's so easy to get side-tracked during the holidays. I have to make lists just to make sure that I don't forget anything and that includes writing. If I don't have the time to write, I research in the evenings when I'm too tired to do anything else. Thanks for the helpful advice--I have been obsessing about a story that I've wanted to write for some time now:)
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