Preventing Post-Holiday Writer’s Guilt

Christmas tree decorated by the kids.

Don’t panic, but there are only six days until Christmas arrives and only 12 days until the year ends. Holidays are approaching fast, and I realized I still haven’t achieved everything I wanted to this year. Now, I am worried about all the things I won’t get done over the holidays. 

Instead of stressing about the post-holiday writer’s guilt already, I decided to take a deep breath and plan to keep writing a couple of hours each day despite all the festive Christmas parties littering my calendar with work, family, and friends. My holidays will be packed full, but I have ten days off, and it would be great to make some progress on a writing project or two. Therefore, I need to figure out how to juggle the schedule to make sufficient time for work, family, exercise, writing, and a little bit of sleep.

Connecting with family and friends at this time of year is important, and fitting in the job stuff is required to pay all the bills, which is why making room for writing feels difficult and complicated.

So, if you are reading this and would like to prevent the post-holiday writer’s guilt, then check out my suggestions to help us achieve our writing goals together. 

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How to Plan a Productive Solo Writing Retreat

Photo Credit: Vlada Karpovich (Pexels.com)

Sometimes, life is hard. 

Your typical day can get so hectic that you barely have enough time to change out of pajamas in the morning before it is already bedtime again. You are so busy juggling responsibilities that you can’t find the time to finish that short story, complete the novel edits, or even take a few minutes to write a four-line poem.

So, maybe you need a solo writing retreat?

I will admit that I won the lottery a few months ago. I didn’t win a cash prize or a prestigious award; instead, I won a writing residency opportunity to spend almost two weeks on a private island in the middle of a quiet lake. It is the perfect place for me to focus on three things: Eating, sleeping, and writing. 

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