Howdy, howdy
Time to rest a soul
With December here, there's finally a chill in the air (it's 66° as I write this) and I have to admit, I'm ready to throw the towel in on this year. This was not the year I expected or planned for and I'm ready for it to be over, at least a little bit.
But it's not and there are still thirty days left of the year. And while I have some goals I want to accomplish, the biggest one is to rest. And not just rest physically (I got eight hours of sleep last night - which is rare for me), but rest my soul.
The past few years, I've been stuck in this big burnout. It's not writing related, but when the burnout is constant, it effects my writing. And I have to admit - most of my burnout is related to my day job.
Side note, I know two of you who read this work with me and I know y'all agree.
Last year when I was let go, there was a fear about finding a new job, but the two months that I was in that transition, I had so much more time to write and it felt good to me. It felt right. Which is why I so desperately hope and pray and try to plan for a life in the future where I live off my writing.
Because my soul needs it. I write books because my spirit and my over-imaginative brain need it. I can't sit still, I need books and stories.
But I also need some rest. So, I have three simple goals this month.
1. Wrap up my writing projects for the year
Project Whisper was my big project for most of the year, and despite the fact I thought it would take two months (I wrote half of it in September) and now we're into month four. If I had a good writing week, I could easily finish it, and yet, there aren't any good writing weeks lately.
After that, I want to go back to finish up my romance novel I started last year while I was in between jobs. I really only need about 10,000 words in each book, so this should be doable before the end of the year, but I need to stay focused.
2. Read a bunch of Christmas romances
It's the season for Christmas and since I'm battling burnout so bad, I'm taking it easy. I want to feel like the books I'm reading right now are warm and fuzzy, especially as we get cooler and cooler here in Texas (I am a wuss, I was born for beaches and tropical drinks, not snow). I just need some lightheartedness in my reads the rest of the year.
3. Prepare for 2025
I'm hoping to get some extra time off at the end of the year, but probably the last week of the year, I want to plan for 2025. 2025 is the 10 year anniversary of my debut novel publishing and I want to celebrate it. But that involves work and planning for the work ahead.
So there's work to do in the next few weeks, but there also has to be time to rest. To refill the cup, so to speak. And I hope as we close out 2024, you find the ways to refill for the new year, too.
Laura
