Overcoming the Holiday Haze

Daughter with longest break ever

Listen up, writers! Whether you're busy with the day after Christmas sales or returning your gifts or in the middle of Hanukkah or celebrating Kwanzaa, and you whipped out your phone to read the latest WOW! blog post, I'm here to tell you--get thee self out of the holiday haze and get back into your writing routine. Don't wait a week until it's January 1, 2020--that's not necessary. You have all the tools and everything you need to get back on the wagon...today.

So, it's December 26, and let's say you write 1000 words a day. Then you'll have 1000 words every day from December 26 to December 31, and that's a total of 6 days of writing or 6000 words. That's 6000 words more than you would have if you waited to start January 1 or even January 2--which many writers do. Or this year, since it appears our darling children are never going back to school with the longest holiday break ever known to man (slight exaggeration only--my daughter left her school at 11:30 am on 12/20 and doesn't return until 8:30 am on 1/7/2020!), some writers are planning to start their healthy lifestyles and new routines with diets, exercise, and writing time on January 6, when most kids are back in school (except my daughter!).

If you start today, you will be so far ahead of those January 6th people that you won't even be able to see them in your rear view mirror.

I've always wondered what was so magical about starting a new year. Why do we make all these promises to do all these things just because January is lucky enough to start a brand new, fresh calendar? I decided to do things a bit differently this year. I started my 1000-plus-words-a-day writing habit on November 15. I did the Whole30 healthy eating plan from November 17 to December 16 (and I'm still eating Whole30-ish except for the irresistible Christmas cookies!). Some people thought I was crazy for not waiting for 2020--especially with the Whole30 challenge--but I was ready to make some changes in November. So, I'm starting the year eight pounds lighter, 50,000+ words on my manuscripts, and momentum to carry me through what I hope is one of my most successful years yet!

You can do it, too--and still eat the Christmas cookies. When you get home from wherever you are today or if you're already home while reading this, then walk over to your desk, turn on your computer, open the program you use to write, and type 500 words. I challenge you. Wait, no--I double dog dare you. Now you have to.

Get out of the holiday haze early this year. Get started before the others, and rock in the new year, ready to meet your goals whatever those may be!

Margo's next Writing a Novel with a Writing Coach class starts on January 3, 2020, (new syllabus!) and her new class, Writing Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction: A Study and Workshop, starts on January 21. Register for both classes here. Find out more about Margo and her books here.