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!
1) 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.
2) 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.
3) 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.
I used It’s A Wonderful Life to write an alternative film noir style story. You can find ‘Redemption’ here!
4) 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.
5) 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. 2016 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 get back into your writing routine after Christmas? Please share you thoughts in the comments section below!
Image courtesy of Tamara Polajnar.
Great suggestions, Icy!
On writing anything for 10 minutes: it works! That stream of consciousness stuff really, really works.
I also recently decided to sort through my disorganized collection of folders on my computer, which were full of old scribbles and unfinished stories. Coming across my old ideas and writings proved to be very inspiring. It even lit a fire in me to finish some of those stories. There really is something to be said for revisiting old ideas.
I started writing in 8 minute bursts and it’s made such a difference!
Great advice points. I’ve used the ‘write anything for 10 minutes’ exercise many times when I’ve been stuck.
At the moment, though, I’ve been fairly consistent about writing. So, it’s not so much about getting back into writing as keeping up the pace for me.
I’ll be cheering you on!
Before the festivities start I write a list of writing tasks I intend to do as soon as the festivities are over. That way I trick myself into believing my mind is still in writing mode during the festivities.
That’s an excellent idea!