The lazy December Mood has caught me

By the end of the year, I always run out of my writing, reading and reviewing steam. It’s like I’ve been running on the writing treadmill for 11 months, that come December, I need to ease down, not just to a slow walk, but I come to a complete standstill. My writing suffers, my reading pile starts escalating and my mood drifts away, to God knows where?

Though Christmas is something we Indians don’t celebrate, but as the schools close down for the winter and the new year holidays, by and large, the holiday mood catches up with me. I tend to take it easy on all fronts. My writing slows down (I stop thinking of my characters and start thinking about myself). I hardly read books at this time (I'm too distracted) and therefore am unable to do any reviews. I tend to shop a lot during this period (there are sales everywhere) and meet all my friends for lunches and coffees.

I justify this lazy phase with the thought that even the editors and agents will be on a holiday and no one will respond even if I query and submit at this time.

I hope it’s just not me, but that this happens to everyone (that way I’ll feel less guilty).

What does the month of December do to your productivity as a writer? Do you work hard during this month or do you take it easy?

P.S. I’ll be on a break till 4th January 2017 when I’ll return with my IWSG post. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and very Happy New Year in advance.

Picture Courtesy. https://www.lovethispic.com/image/287746/hello-december

IWSG Post – Where do we see ourselves 5 years from now

It’s the last IWSG post for 2016. IWSG aka Insecure Writers Support Group, an online group of writers, posts on the first Wednesday of every month. In our posts we usually discuss our writing related worries, anxieties, fears and insecurities. Other writers who have undergone similar situations help us out with their advice and suggestions. Check out the IWSG website for amazing writing tips. Read the other IWSG posts here.

We writers can never thank Ninja Captain Alex J Cavanaugh (author of the Amazon Bestsellers: CassaStar, CassaStorm, CassaFire and Dragon of the Stars) for starting this awesome group. Honestly, if not for Amazing Alex, we all would never have met.  

I love the December 7^th question: In terms of your writing career, where do you see yourself five years from now, and what’s your plan to get there? 

Five years from now I see myself having an agent and also a few books published. I also hope to win an Indian award for writing in these five years (yep, these are all big goals, but what’s life if we don’t dream big or aim for the skies).

To achieve these writing goals/aims/dreams I’m writing different books (as I never know which book will be successful). I’m also writing a wide range of genres as well as for different age groups. I hope to atleast have two adult novels published in these five years, as well as several middle grade books and a few picture books (I’ve already started submitting my earlier books to more publishers.)

I’m eager and excited to read where do all my writing friends hope to see themselves five years from now! 

Revising Old Manuscripts

Ever since I had a R and R (revise and resubmit) offer from an editor last month, I have been on cloud nine. With that editor’s insightful and helpful feedback, I have attacked my manuscript with gusto and am revising it with a whole lot of enthusiasm. When you know what exactly to fix in your story, revisions become a cakewalk.

Infact, after that particular editor’s comments on one manuscript, I’m rewriting all my stories from the past one month. You can even say that I’m on a revising old manuscripts road trip. I’ve literally pulled out all my earlier written work:  be it middle grade or picture books, and am tweaking them slowly, chapter by chapter. The result is pretty decent (atleast I think so).

I feel that it’s not just important for writers to write more and more, but also to go back, atleast once, and rework/rewrite previously written stories. As the more we write and read other people’s books, the more we can see the faults in our own work. With this new writing wisdom, it becomes easier to tackle and revamp older manuscripts which now occupy space inside our laptops.

I tweaked two picture books a couple of days back and sent it to an editor and hopefully the middle grade manuscript too will leave my computer by the end of the month.

Do you revisit your previously written stories? Or do you forget about them and move on to the newer ones?