I’m a big fan of writing what you are feeling in the moment. Especially this time of year when our emotions seem to simmer close to the surface, it is so important to capture those feelings and thoughts in writing.
I spent my writing time last month crafting a murder mystery story. I wrote straight through and haven’t made any revisions yet because I just can’t make myself get into the frame of mind necessary to edit it until after the holidays. To be completely honest, writing it was a hard stretch for me because getting into the characters heads wasn’t necessarily somewhere I wanted to be. The darkness and bone-deep evil of one of the characters is so far outside my world where I like to think the edges are softened with pink sparkles, that I just can’t mentally make that journey during the Christmas season.
So instead of being the lazy slug I’d love to be this month, I am starting my Christmas novel for next year. I’m breathing in the scents, seeing the sights, hearing the sounds, experiencing the feelings of the holidays right now, so what better time to capture that in words?
Write what you are feeling as you are experiencing it and your writing will be better for it.
