Post-Christmas Grind: Getting Back into Your Writing Routine
Merry Christmas to all of our readers! We hope you had a great holiday, but if you’ve struggled to fit in your writing, Icy Sedgwick has some tips on getting back into the routine.
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No matter how good your intentions, sticking to a well-honed writing routine over Christmas is virtually impossible. Putting aside all of the time commitments involved in buying and wrapping presents, visiting friends and family, and preparing all that food, even if you do manage to sneak in some writing time, you’ll no doubt be met with cries of “Oh you’re not writing, are you? But it’s Christmas.”
Writers are lucky in that their chosen line of work is not only fun, it also offers a high degree of escapism, but sadly, many non-writers still think we’re chained to our laptops.
Of course, the problem you face after any interruption to a routine is finding a way back into it. Christmas offers a particularly large interruption due to the length of time it seems to last, and the fact that you’ll be trying to get back into other routines, not just those involving writing. Still, it must be done, so here are five suggestions of things you can do to get back into the swing of things!
Write ANYTHING for Ten Minutes
Yes, this one is fairly self-explanatory. Choose anything as a prompt, or just simply write about what you got for Christmas. It doesn’t matter what you’re writing, just make sure it’s constant for ten minutes. Don’t worry about what you’re writing, just write without pauses. Use a timer, or a website like Write or Die to keep you on track. It’s amazing how much simply writing to get the words out will get you back into the habit of writing.
Use a Current Project As a Prompt
If you’re in the middle of a longer project, try writing a flash or short story about a character other than the protagonist. If you don’t have something on the go, write about a character from a story you’ve already finished.
Use Movies to Inspire You
Chances are, you may have watched some great movies over the Christmas period. Write a missing scene, prologue or ending from a movie of your choice. Prose is fine, though if you want to write it in screenplay format that could keep you on your toes! It’s always beneficial to try writing in a different form to the one you’re used to.
Revisit Old Ideas
If you keep a notebook (and you should), flick through and browse those ideas you’ve jotted down in the past years. If none of them strike you as being good fodder for a flash, short story or even a novel, then choose a sentence at random and those that as a prompt for a story, poem or even a blog post.
Let the World Inspire You
Re-read something you’ve actually finished. Remember why you wrote it, and how much you enjoyed finishing it. Go for a walk and let your brain absorb everything around you – you might even do this just before you go out to check out the sales. Get back to your writing area feeling refreshed and ready to write!
Make sure you make a concerted effort to get back into your writing routine, but don’t push yourself too hard or your brain will rebel against you. Try one (or all, if you’re feeling brave) of these suggestions and see how it goes. 2012 is almost upon us and it would be a good way to establish a routine for the coming year if you got back into one now!
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How are you planning to start your 2012 writing with a bang? Please share you thoughts in the comments section below!
Image courtesy of Tamara Polajnar.
Love this! You’re so right, once the routine disappears, even for a couple of days, it is incredibly hard to get back to it. Plus having family to stay – family who, despite what they say, may not entirely understand – makes it even worse (much as I love them!)!
Good advice – I’ve put the link on my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/lisamarielambwriter)
Have a great 2012!
Family, although they are all excited about my writing, sometimes become a big hurdle for me in my writing. Raising 3 teenage grandsons very often creates lots of confusion in my household that keeps me from writing. Even though they all think it is cool that I write ‘weird’ stories, that often ends with the heroin getting stuck in a bad situation, they still don’t seem to want to give me a moment of peace and quiet in which to write. When family thinks they are being supportive, they are often just keeping you from writing. Still, you gotta love ‘em.
I plan to begin on January 1 with a routine of spending 30 minutes to an hour a day writing. I’ll either be working on my book or my blog.
Good writing, everyone!
So long as you’re writing, that’s the main thing.
Good luck!
Very good tips!
I’m sure they’ll help a lot to get on the tracks again!
Cheers from Brazil.
I’ve been in a bit of a slump lately and have been using some of my writing books that have writing exercises in them to help me get motivated again. Still, I haven’t been consistent with it. And, of course, we all know that consistency is key.
That’s the main thing – getting used to doing it at a certain time makes it a lot easier to keep it up.
I am lucky with my new year inspiration today, the view out of my window is gorgeous, clear blue skies, frost on the ground and even though I can’t feel it at the moment I know there is a slight chill in the air :)
I will be using your idea of a piece of flash fiction today in my writing practise.
Thanks.
Here not hear! ;) Thanks for the inspiration, I’m getting back into writing today after a very distracting Christmas.
I hope you manage to get some words down :)
I started yesterday, committed to 2 hours a day.
Good luck!
I basically took all of December off, other than a few days here and there, so this is a perfect topic for me. I need these ideas, as I’m having trouble getting any words on the page. Or, rather, any words after a first paragraph.
Great ideas, Icy! I’m having such a hard time getting back into a routine this year. 2012 is off to such an odd and hectic start, I think I may need to generate a new routine for the new year!