Three Tips to Keep Writing During the Holidays (and a COMPEL Challenge and giveaways!)
by Tracie Miles
Happy Thanksgiving from COMPEL Training!
Can you believe the holidays are already upon us? It’s amazing how fast a year goes by!
If there’s one thing I know about the holiday season, it’s how easy it is to let our writing slip to the back burner. Even if we have every intention of jumping back into writing once the new year rolls around, either life keeps getting in the way or we feel out of practice and have no motivation to start again. Neither of these scenarios help us move forward with our writing dreams!
Knowing the holidays were approaching and that there are challenges all throughout the year, our current seven week live course at COMPEL is titled “Overcoming the Challenges Every Writer Faces” where every week there is a lesson on overcoming a common writing challenge. If you are not a COMPEL member, CLICK HERE to find out more about this course and consider joining COMPEL today to access all the teachings!
Below are three tips for pushing through with writing until year end. And be sure to check out our last 2018 COMPEL Training Challenge at the bottom of this post! Prizes galore!
1. DEVELOP SELF-DISCIPLINE
The holidays bring on lots of new responsibilities and obligations, like shopping, decorating, cooking, and entertaining. We typically stick to our commitments for holiday duties, but what about our commitment to write? Make your writing a priority this holiday season, even if you can only squeeze in fifteen minutes a day. Develop a specific routine for when you will write and put it on your calendar, then be sure to keep those appointments. If you’ve worked hard all year, don’t let the holidays derail your efforts!
2. WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU SEE AND EXPERIENCE
This season of the year is packed full of new sights, sounds, smells, emotions and experiences. We think we won’t forget the details of life or holiday memories but the reality is that we all do! What brings our writing to life is showing, not telling, and that requires including details about what we are living out. Using the routine you’ve set for yourself, take time each day to write something about what you experienced or felt that day. Without worrying about grammar or punctuation, journal about your experiences throughout the holidays. Include all the big and little details, feelings and thoughts, sights and sounds. This is material you can use in future writing projects.
3. CRITIQUE OTHER PEOPLE’S WRITING
It can be challenging to come up with ideas to write about, especially during the holidays. On those days when it seems writer’s block has set in, do a google search for a topic that interests you. Click on several links to read articles or blog posts. As you read, think about what it is about the author’s writing style that was good or bad; what drew you in or caused you to lose interest? Was the writer telling you a story or showing you a story that made you feel like you were present. Consider writing up your thoughts about each piece, and once life settles down, use your reviews to critique your own writing styles and improve your craft.
Now for the challenge!
Leave a comment on the blog post about what your biggest writing challenge is during the holiday season or in general and what you will do to keep it from becoming a stumbling block going forward. Five winners will be randomly selected from all of the comments and receive some great resources to kick off the new year!
The giveaways include:
- Enough: Silencing the Lies That Steal Your Confidence, by Sharon Jaynes
- Seamless: Understanding the Bible as One Complete Story (bible study), by Angie Smith
- Thy Will Be Done: A Six-Week Devotional, a Proverbs 31 publication (multiple authors)
- Make Your Move: Finding Unshakable Confidence Despite Your Fears and Failures (book plus 6-week DVD teaching series), by Lynn Cowell
- Beautiful Leather Writing Journal
Please note: Everyone is encouraged to share their challenges in the comments! However only COMPEL Training members are eligible to win giveaways To join COMPEL or learn more about all the writing training courses that COMPEL offers, click here.
Tracie Miles
Tracie Miles has been the Director of COMPEL Training at Proverbs 31 Ministries since January 2017, and has been volunteering on the speaker and writer teams for Proverbs 31 since 2007. Tracie is an author coach who works one on one with writers of all levels to help them pursue their writing dreams, and can be found at www.traciemiles.com. She is the author of seven bestselling books, including Living Unbroken, Love Life Again, Unsinkable Faith, Stress Less Living and Your Life Still Counts, and has a new book releasing July 2024 called God's Got You: Embracing New Beginnings With Courage and Confidence. She is also the founder of the national Living Unbroken Divorce Recovery Program, a 7 week study series to help women heal and recover together. Tracie has three grown children, two of whom are married, and lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. You can connect with Tracie on her website at www.traciemiles.com as well as on Facebook and Instagram.
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Mine is probably the distractions. The extra time commitments, schedule changes, the blasts of things to compare my self with on social media… sigh
My biggest stump block is scheduling and sticking to it and a very close second is self confidence to share more of my writing. It seems that every time I set a schedule or plan in motion life changes those plans. Like a doctor appointment, weekly meetings or other projects with a deadline. My plan for movimg forward on both problems is to keep adjusting my set aside timing for each day until I find the right fit and share with family and friends why I have this block of time set aside to help with interruptions and other “need to do now” situations. And planning on signing up for Compel classes in the new year for help with guidance toward my goals.
My biggest writing challenge is time and busyness. I often couldn’t shake the guilt I felt when I purposely took time for writing. Somehow it always felt as if I was robbing my family of time that they needed and other things I need to accomplish as well. We have found a way that works for us by making this a family affair. When a thought comes while we are on the road, my kiddos will hold the phone, tap on the voice recorder and “interview” me. My husband reads my writing, helps me with editing, and gives me encouragement. My family also gladly accepts my sticky notes and pads around the house for those moments when inspiration strikes.
There are times when I still need that quiet space and time to put thoughts to paper and that is when I head to the bathroom! Mostly late at night when all else is still and quiet. Thankfully, I have always been a night owl! Make no mistake, there are still days that are more productive than others. Working together with my crew and by the Lord’s grace, writing is simply becoming a normal part of our lives!
My biggest challenge with writing in general is having enough time and I know we are supposed to schedule the time in, and maybe this is an excuse but with my husband in grad school two kids under 3 and working a full time and part time job at the end of the day I am just tired . So maybe it’s just a season of growth for me right now but it is frustrating .
The biggest challenge for me in general is over-thinking it. I sit down, put that pen to the paper, and my mind just starts twirling – ‘what if it sounds dorky? what if no one ‘likes’ it? what if someone is offended by it?’ or ‘who do you think you are, an expert on (fill in the blank)? get real!’ or the favoriteand frequent one – ‘do you really think you have what it takes to do this?’ I read somewhere the following – “don’t let anyone rent space in your head unless they are a good tenant”. So I’m going to take this advice and move forward with the eviction notice on the enemy, and start listening to the truth the Author of my life tells me ‘You are Mine. You are worthy.’ and write!
My biggest challenge is motivation. I know this is something God has called me to do, but the subject matter of my current project is very difficult to write about. I find myself spending more and more time in my “escapes” (TV, game apps, etc.) and making excuses. I need to put my butt in the chair and trust that God will guide me through not only the story, but whatever emotional upheaval may arise from the writing. If he leads you to it, he will let lead you through it!
Being new to Compel I am just learning to find my voice in my writing. I still battle with not feeling like I am good enough to write where people will want to take the time to read it. Joining Compel is my first step to overcoming those feelings of being inadequate.
My biggest challenge is setting up a schedule to do my writing and following through with the plan I have put in place. I’m always finding other things to do or I tell myself I’m too tired to write and I’ll do it the next day!! My goal for the holidays and moving into next year, is to work on ignoring the distractions and if I’m tired just allowing myself to shorten the writing assignment for that time.
My biggest writing challenge is silencing doubts and fears. To quiet the noise, I must write consistently and use my words to glorify God, my Audience of One.
I honestly don’t know why I have such difficulty writing so kind of wrote a lament about it. LOL :
Writing – You Got This!
Why can’t I write when everything in me desires to write? It’s not about me – God, you said that “My strength is made perfect in weakness.” If I can count on your strength what do I have to do? I am just going to wait here for You to tell me, Lord. My chest feels like it is bursting; I feel like dissolving on the floor in a puddle. I so desperately want to write. I want to tell generations coming about your unfailing love, Lord; how you took me from the “miry clay” and set “my feet on the rock to stay.” So each day I determine I am going to set aside time and it works some days, others not. I lack confidence & I feel guilty when I am writing and when I am not. Does that make sense? Am I too old to start something new? Is it time to be put out to pasture? I feel like I am failing not only myself but You, Lord. So this is it – WHY?! Lord, I have written before and it just seemed to come but I want to be consistent. So here You have it Lord. I have to admit I feel like it is a giant in my path and I come to You because You promised me that “Those that wait on You, will mount up on wings of eagles, they will walk and not grow weary, they shall run & not faint…” So here I am – what is wrong with me? I pray that this will be the day of Breakthrough:
Dear Patty:
There is nothing wrong with you. Pick up your pen and just write. Don’t worry about what you are going to say or how people are going to interpret it. This is a gift, meant to be fun. Leave the results with me and just let me carry you. The Psalmists did not know their work was going to be read; they just expressed their hearts and wrote. Writing is a gift for you and that’s okay. I give you permission to do something just for you. You help other people and that is great but glorifying Me is also using the gifts that I have entrusted to you. Start small, & grow from there. Let Me show you what I can do with a surrendered soul. Don’t complicate this. Just as I showed David the stones to throw, I will show you what to write and how. I had already trained David to defeat Goliath by the animals he defeated in his past as he shepherded the sheep entrusted to him. I have done that with you and the people I had entrusted to you. You have already overcome many obstacles that has trained you to defeat the giants and all you need, I have already equipped you with……….so relax Patty, with My help, you got this!
Instead of looking at the end goal and feeling the overwhelm that goes along with it, I’m focusing on doing the next right thing. I may have 75 ideas for things I want to write about, but I’ll start with one.
Guilt! There I said it. Yes, I tend to feel some guilt when taking time to write. I see the dust bunnies, the laundry and the needs of family members. Holiday time heightens the guilt, I want to be fully present with family all day. I want to prepare a welcoming table for them…BUT, I also want to write!
Going forward I will use my time wisely. I will write in the school car line while I am waiting for the dismissal bell. Write down my thoughts on a notepad as inspiration comes; because I will forget the analogy. Lastly but not least, I will stop feeling guilty for doing something I love.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone
My struggle is during the holidays I battle depression, which leads me to not desire to write. I am going to focus on the positives in my life and try not to dwell on the negatives through this holiday season. I am going to choose to enjoy whatever new or old routines we experience this year and not compare to previous years. And I’m going to pray that the spirit of depression would not keep me from writing, rather it would propel me to write some deep thoughts, even if no one ever reads those words but me.
My biggest obstacle is writing on a sleep-deprived brain 🙂 I have a newborn baby and want to document her journey, but my mind does not string together words very well at this point. However, I do have moments of clarity even at 3am, so I keep my phone with the Evernote app on hand for when I need to jot down those precious moments!
Happy Thanksgiving! For me the challenge is making time. We have 6 children and a small house and it’s hard to find time and space to really be able to focus. I know that I need to make writing a priority though, so I will use a few extra moments at night to jot down some thoughts that may lead to something worth blogging later on. God Bless Everyone !
Biggest obstacle in this season is my Martha Syndrome where the seemingly urgent tasks take over my to do list and I settle into distracted living running here there and everywhere instead of doing that one thing that is necessary and leaving the rest. If I just sit at the feet of jesus more I would have a well of inspiration to write, wisdom to discern the important and peace to walk it all out!
My biggest writing challenge is consistency. I need to make time each day to write even if I think I have nothing to write about! Thank you for the opportunity to win these wonderful resources! Have a blessed Thanksgiving!
My toughest writing challenge is carving out time and then committing to it and actually doing it. Also the distractions: I had carpal tunnel surgery on one hand seven months ago so that is a hindrance( have to take breaks) My daughter and grandkids live with me so there’s distractions of balancing time with the littles, listening to my daughter’s heart with her single mom struggles and working full time. I am committing to following this blogs guidance and putting it on my calendar as a top priority. A must do task for myself! Thank you for this encouragement!
This Advent season I would like to write/finish my” Holly and Holy: Seeking Balance between the Christmas Busy-ness and the Sacred” book. My challenge is not only finding the time but also the inspiration so that my book will be of help to others who feel drained and not blessed by this Holy Season.
My challenge this holiday season is that we have several relatives staying with us throughout the month of December, so I am already anticipating the pressure to ‘be on’ as a host. I’m concerned that it will be hard to maintain my ‘writing time’, with all the extra cooking and hosting I’ll need to do. When they arrive in a few days, I am looking forward to sharing our family schedule with them, and letting them know when I will be working/writing. I hope communicating with them from the beginning will allow me the space and ‘permission’ to keep writing this coming month. I know things will pop up and unexpected happenings will occur, but I trust that the Lord will help me keep balanced through it all.