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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My biggest challenge continues to be myself and a lack of confidence. My goal during the Holiday season is to complete an Advent writing devotional. I am hoping this will give me the freedom to write without feeling it has to be perfect.
My biggest challenge is weariness. My work and cargiving schedules challenge my energy and alertness levels. I began utilizing my lunch break to work on writing projects. My hope is to write during at least three lunch breaks per week.
My biggest challenge to continue writing during the holidays is fighting distractions and having time to write amidst all of the holiday preparations and, well, life! I will combat these challenges by keeping my regularly scheduled writing time sacred and my writing spot clean organized and welcoming with all of my write time cozy essentials ready – like music, blanket, heater and all the essentials.
Time management is always a struggle for me when it comes to my writing. I’m going to be scheduling a little bit of time each day to get started so that I don’t let long stretches of time pass before I write again!
My biggest challenge to writing is being intentional with my time. I have about two-hours every day that I have in my head set aside as my time of writing. However, since there are so many unexpected and last minute unpredictable scenarios that play out in our household, it becomes difficult to stick to the time frame that I wanted.
My biggest writing challenge during the holidays is knowing when to push forward through the extra commitments to carve out time to write and when to pause and rest in the beauty of the season.
One thing I can do to overcome the challenge is to use this time to capture stories around me that could be used for Christmas article ideas. Remembering that magazines schedule at least six months in advance for their seasonal articles. Those stories could be the starting point for articles I write and submit in the new year.
My biggest challenge is questioning the purpose of what I’m doing. Writing has been such a struggle for me because I want to know the full purpose/outcome of the writing. I’ve had so many false starts. I commit to praying each day specifically for God to strengthen me to write, knowing that a significant part of my writing journey is learning to trust Him, regardless of the ultimate outcome.
The most difficult challenge for me during the holidays is to apply what I have learned from the courses to current writings or previous ones. I feel this is the best way for me to challenge myself as well as build a better foundation of writing. It is so easy during the holidays to get side track and do what is easy. I have to be very purposeful in applying what I have learned in each lesson and put it practice.
My nemesis is the insecurity that comes with a tiny audience and continuing to believe in the dream God has placed on my heart…staying faithful to my audience of one.
With all the Holiday celebrations that we all undoubtedly are involved in, it can be quite difficult to find the time to write. This is the time that we must schedule what it is we want to accomplish. Make an appointment with yourself and keep that appointment. You wouldn’t want to miss a doctor visit or important meeting would you? Value the meetings you set for purposeful action towards your dreams and goals. I’m making sure to set appointments for writing and keeping them during this busy time of the year.
My biggest stumbling block is finding time to write and “losing family time”… but no more! This holiday season I will be intentional about setting writing time aside, have a writing-subject schedule AND enjoying family time.
One of my biggest challenges is the editing process. In my opinion, I spend too much time worrying about how a post is written and if the intended message is well crafted. I will re-read and adjust a blog post several times prior to posting, which creates an atmosphere of trying to attain perfection. I need to relax and trust the process. Then post without fear that there are mistakes!
My 20 year old daughter, Kennan, died in June from a rare side effect to medication. We were at her side, holding her hand and also crying out to God on her behalf from March through June. Working through the grief, wrestling with God even as we hold onto Him for comfort, healing and hope. Using the heartache in my writing even as I am battling against its ability to put the brakes on creativity
I’m so sorry.
I am in a very intensive time of homeschooling… my biggest challenge in carving out time to write has been my energy level and mental fatigue. I get to the end of my day and all I want to do is just sit still in a quiet space for an hour or so. lol My goal is to have a change of mindset about writing. To have it changed from something I “have” to do, to being something that is tied into my down time…a thing of refreshment and relaxation that I look forward to, rather than just one more thing I need to check off my list for the day. Anyone else relate? (hopeful face….) I LOVE to write! And God has given me a gift in it. I want to honor that gift and not allow it to slip through the cracks of this busy, tiring season of life.
This year I have a unique challenge. On December 20th I will have a left hip replacement. This will be my seventh major surgery in five years. I lose my writing consistency when I am recovering from surgery. I plan on having posts and emails pre-scheduled for two weeks. This time I am not only blogging I am also writing a book. There are also pulmonary concerns. I am confident of the outcome, my faith is stronger than ever. Looming in the back of my mind is how to prepare for the unknown challenges that can crop up. God has me safe in the palm of his hand. My challenge is to rest there and only control the parts His Will allows.
Distraction, Doubt & Discouragement are the tools the Devil will use to derail my Godsized Dream! Pursuing what I believe God has placed on my heart to write will require much Patience , Persistence & Perseverance! The Holidays are filled with many distractions & busyness, so I need to be very intentional about what I put first on my to do list! Write for HIM!
Fear is my greatest challenge. I have written the words, “Fear not for I am with thee” on my mirror and because I am too often discouraged by the blinking cursor I have bought a new notebook and committed to writing no less than 15 minutes a day just after my quiet time.
About 3 years ago, I felt that God was leading me to do a blog. So about 18 months ago, I got my own website and began to blog 6 days a week. I have found that if I am out of town or under the weather, I don’t really feeling like blogging. The most important thing for me is discipline. I am an early riser and I use this time when the house is quiet to read my Proverbs 31 devotion, pray, and type what God gives me. There are times when I will type a couple of blogs and save one in the drafts. I always try to keep at least 5 drafts in my posts section. This way if my schedule runs into snags, I have a blog ready to post. It’s also helpful when I am just not getting my usual jolt of inspiration.
My greatest challenge is giving writing space and priority in my day. I care for my disabled son and rarely get a chunk of time to put words to paper. So the words remain in my head. My goal is to get help with my son’s care and to leave the house consistently, allowing for that needed chunk of time.
I also struggle believing that I have the ability to have a career as a writer. The only way to overcome this fear is to write and submit trusting God’s call.
My biggest writing challenge probably echoes everyone else and that is disciplining myself to assign time to ME! Alongside the challenge of time is my own personal “perfectionist” ways. I tend to think I need to carve out long hours to accomplish quality writing but I’m trying to convince myself that the “moments” matter when writing. The ideas come out of nowhere and are triggered by certain emotions, circumstances or situations and those provide “moments” for me to write. I am my own worst enemy because of my perfectionism. I don’t reach out to other writers for support or ideas. I need to do more networking with aspiring writers.
Something I am learning, is to carry small notebooks with me and have them by my bedside, in my Prayer Journal, on my desk, and even in my car. When an idea pops in my mind, I write it down. All those little chunks of time add up to more material to work with. I will probably never be able to control my writing time with all that is on my plate personally but I can keep going, keep writing, keep dreaming, and keep expecting a book to finally come out at the end. I write because I feel. I write because I have a story to tell. I write because the story needs to come out whether it’s published or not.
I am a recovering perfectionist and control monster and understand what you are saying. So instead of you reaching out. I am reaching out to you. I know the importance to have those connections.