Tag: christmas

author, holidays

Welcome to 2023!

emilieturner95

Happy New Year!

It’s officially 2023! Where on earth did 2022 go? It seemed to absolutely fly by! I can’t believe we’ve made it to 2023 – another year but not much is changing right now.

I don’t really do resolutions often. I think New Year’s resolutions often lead to disappointment and feelings of failure if they’re not met. Sometimes resolutions work, and it’s amazing when they do, but more often than not they fizzle out (the gym is always packed the first few weeks of January and then quite rapidly dies down again, just for one example).

I can’t even remember the resolutions I made last year. I know I made some, but honestly, I have no clue what I did. But this year, I’m doing things a little differently. I’m not making any resolutions this year. I’m going to make some goals for the year but no resolutions for me!

I have two main goals for the year. One personal and one professional.

First: I want to be more present for my family. This year I felt out of touch and a bit scatterbrained. I have ADHD which doesn’t help but I feel like I want to be more present with my family. Date nights, family adventures and spending more quality time together is a goal of mine for this year. I still have writing goals and aspirations but I’m going to prioritise my family first!

Second: I want to commit to the last year of my Master’s program and come out the other side with an amazing novella. I’m determined to see through my last year and I am excited to write my novella and see what my supervisor thinks. I really want to be able to publish my Master’s novella and I have a goal to put it forward to a publisher at the end of the year!

These are the only two goals I’ve set for this year. If I don’t completely meet them, that’s absolutely fine. I find that the term ‘resolution’ often leads to disappointment in myself so I’ve rebranded and I’m going to aim for my goals and work on them both throughout the entire year. Any improvement will be achieving my goals!

I love hearing about other people’s goals/resolutions for the New Year and I hope everyone succeeds where they want!

author, holidays, Writing

Christmas: A Poem

emilieturner95

Mistletoe is hanging from the ceiling,
A wreath is covering the door.
Everything is red, green and gold,
There are Christmas decorations galore.

The Christmas tree sits in the corner,
With many presents on the floor.
Just waiting for that winter morning,
When the children cease to snore.

That cold, winter’s morning,
The children will be keen.
They will dash down the stairs,
To discover that Santa has been.

The yells and cries of excitement,
Will echo through the space.
As they rip open the wrapping paper,
As if it is a race.

The parents will love watching,
Although tired from Christmas Eve.
For they know it won’t be long,
Until their children no longer believe.

author, Writing

Editing Post NaNoWriMo

emilieturner95

“I’ve found the best way to revise your own work is to pretend that somebody else wrote it and then to rip the living shit out of it.”

Don Roff

It’s always a crazy time post NaNoWriMo! The editing process is a long process, at least it always is for me.

I’m not the biggest fan of editing. I love getting all of my ideas onto paper but sorting through my thought processes and ideas is exhausting! I love reading through the finished product, but it always takes a while to get there.

Editing isn’t fun. I have to tear apart my own work and read it externally to myself, and it is really hard to detach my feelings and look at my work objectively. I know it’s worthwhile and editing is definitely needed, but it doesn’t make it any easier!

I’m planning on editing my recently completed NaNoWriMo novel slowly over December to continue to give myself a break from Infection Point, however I will be returning to edit Infection Point in the new year!

I really want to get published in 2022 and I’m going to do my best to finalise my edits and put forward the completed version! I know it’ll probably get torn apart by copyeditors down the line, but I’m quite proud of the novel I have written.

I’m going to continue powering through the editing process and, although my son provides plenty of distractions, I’m planning on having a solid second draft of my NaNo novel completed by the end of December.

author, holidays, Writing

Post-Christmas Blues

emilieturner95

“One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas Day. Don’t clean it up too quickly.”

Andy Rooney

It’s always sad for me when Christmas is over. As I’m sure you’ve picked up in the last posts – I really do love the Christmas season. It’s sad when that season is over, and our lives return back to their normal routine.

New Years is in a few days, and that’s always an exciting time. Saying goodbye to 2020 and bringing in 2021. It’ll be good to move into a new year and hopefully away from the COVID drama.

It’s been a busy month, preparing for Christmas and the entire holiday season. I haven’t done much outside of work and celebration things. It’s been a sad month for my writing, but I’ve enjoyed the time with family and the entire holiday season.

“Christmas isn’t a season. It’s a feeling.”

Edna Ferber

I’ll continue to bring Christmas spirit into my everyday life moving forward. It’s a time to remember that being generous and kind takes precedence above all else, and I’ll endeavour to continue my year living with that Christmas feeling.

In a few days I’ll take down my Christmas tree and say goodbye to 2020. It has been a hard year, but it has also been productive for me. I’m looking forward to 2021 and everything it’ll bring!

So goodbye to Christmas and Happy New Year for 2021!

“I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.”

Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
author, holidays, pandemic, Writing

Bring On The Holidays

emilieturner95

“Nothing ever seems too bad, too hard, or too sad when you’ve got a Christmas tree in the living room.”

Nora Roberts

I am so excited! Christmas Day is in just 3 days and I cannot wait! I absolutely love the Christmas season and I am beyond excited that it is so close! I can’t wait to give presents to people and see their faces when they get those presents. I love being able to give and show the people I care about how much I love.

It’s such a magical, happy time of year and I’m excited to get into all the Christmas festivities.

I haven’t been writing much at all this month, just because I’ve been so busy with Christmas things and incredible amount of shifts I’ve been getting this month. It’s always ‘go, go, go’ when it hits mid-November until about mid-January.

I like to take some time out during the craziness though. It’s important to reflect on the things that matter and really enjoy time spent with family. I’m lucky enough to have Christmas Day off which means I can spend the whole day with family.

“Christmas gives us an opportunity to pause and reflect on the important things around us.”

David Cameron

I love being able to see my family and celebrate this season. It’s an important holiday, especially as a Christian. It’s the time to celebrate the birth of Jesus, and that’s always magical. It’s important for me to reflect on the birth of Jesus and Christmas’ meaning for me.

Additionally, I love the family time. It’s so beautiful to spend time with family and that we are all able to take the time away from work and spend time together, celebrating together and giving and having a good time.

I cannot wait for Christmas Day to hit! And on that note – Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to everyone!

“What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future.”

Agnes M. Pahro
author, holidays, pandemic, writing

Writing During The Holiday Season

emilieturner95

“Freshly cut Christmas trees smelling of stars and snow and pine resin—inhale deeply and fill your soul with wintry night.”

John J. Geddes

I love this time of year. I love spending time with family and enjoying Christmas together. It really is a magical time of year.

I’ve well and truly put up all my Christmas decorations and I’m 90% done with presents! I love being able to give to people and being able to see their faces and feel their joy when they open their presents.

It’s a time of joy, and a time of giving. It’s beautiful, but it is also incredibly busy. My work picks up around the holidays so I’m currently getting a lot of shifts. It’s nice, but it also means that I’m very on the go.

“Christmas is most truly Christmas when we celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who need it most.”

Ruth Carter Stapleton

It’s hard to find time to sit out during the chaos and get some writing done. I find it important not to beat myself up during this time – not writing is fine over the holiday season!

I don’t panic too much right now – I used to kick myself down so much when I wasn’t writing during these holiday times. I’ve thankfully learnt that it is okay, it’s a very busy time and I’m bound to spend less time writing.

I am trying to sit out and get a little writing done where I can, but I’m not forcing it on myself and I know that it’s going to be hard over this season. I figure, once we’re through the holiday season I will be able to get cracking full-time into my writing once again!

But for now, I’m going to enjoy the Christmas season and not stress about writing heaps!

“Christmas now surrounds us, Happiness is everywhere. Our hands are busy with many tasks as carols fill the air.”

Shirley Sallay
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Holiday Season – Writing Amidst the Chaos

emilieturner95
Pexels.com

So, Christmas and New Years have officially come and gone! It’s been a crazy period of time: seeing family, seeing friends, driving here and there and everywhere, working over the holidays and trying to fit in some writing among all of the busyness.

Among family and friends and enjoying the holiday season, my mind has been as active as ever. Ideas will come to be out of the blue, and the biggest issue has been finding the time to actually sit down and write!

I had slacked off over the past month. It’s been hard to find the time to write, and then when I have had the time, I haven’t had the motivation. I’ve been really exhausted from all the travelling and holiday events, so I just don’t want to do anything when I had the time!

I’ve had to force myself to write over the past month, and I’m still struggling a little with motivation after being so slack. I know that the holiday time is busy and it’s hard to do things like writing, but I definitely lost my mojo and momentum over the holidays.

I am working on getting my mojo back. At the moment I’m just writing word after word and sitting down for a minimum of an hour to write. I need to set those timelines and limits for myself so that I will just continue to write things down, and hopefully my momentum will come back soon!

“A word after a word after a word is power.”

– Margaret Atwood

I am going to keep working on my motivation and will continue to force myself to sit down and write. I’m finding time almost every day at the moment just to put word after word and get something onto my page. I can always edit a bad page, but I can’t edit something that isn’t even there.

“Find out the reason that commands you to write; see whether it has spread its roots into the very depth of your heart; confess to yourself you would have to die if you were forbidden to write.”

– Rainer Maria Rilke

I will continue to write and write. It is the thing that brings me the most joy and I love it with every part of my being. I’ll get my mojo back, I know it! But, for now, I’ll trudge along putting word after word and hope that the plot bunnies come along to help me soon.