Christmas...

I'm finally done the Christmas shopping. Whew. I swear it gets harder every year.

The holiday season sure wreaks havoc on my schedule. As the shopping, baking, entertaining, concerts and parties start consuming the available hours, writing can be a real challenge. Those few precious hours I've carved out for myself can so easily be spent on Christmas cards or wrapping or running around to every store trying to find the last POPULAR TOY in the city. Is that a bad thing?

Not necessarily.

It's all about choices. These past couple of weeks, I've sacrificed time I could have spent on my writing in favor of doing all of the above, and I don't feel bad about it. Why? Well, I haven't completely neglected my writing; those early morning hours (the ones before the malls open) are still spent on my writing. It's not a lot of time, but it's something. Do I get as much done? No. Do I keep the cogs turning on my story? Yes.

If your dream is to be a writer, you need to protect your writing time with all the courage you possess.

That doesn't necessarily mean sending hubby out with the Christmas shopping list while you stay home and write (although, if that works, I say go for it). All you need to do is find a few minutes each day to think about your writing, perhaps jot down a note or two. Malls are great places for people watching and during the Christmas crush I can guaranty you'll collect plenty of great fodder for your stories. Conflict abounds.

- That woman who just elbowed into the checkout line ahead of you...? Why, she's the spitting image of your heroine's irritating aunt from Boston, isn't she? The one that has that unfortunate accident with the delivery truck? Make you note the exact way her eyes glare at you like you're the one that did something wrong.

- Did your child's performance as an angel in the Christmas play bring you to laughter or tears? Take a moment to write down what you saw, how you felt, what particular events conjured the emotions.

- Are you struggling with a particular character in your story? Put on your thinking cap and imagine what you'd buy that character for Christmas. You never know, it might help you understand him or her better.

Here's hoping you find those precious moments and that the muse remains on your shoulder throughout the holiday season!