I tend to finish big writing projects in December even though I don’t plan it that way.
In 2015, I finished the first draft of my novel fifteen months after I started it. The next year, December 2016, I finished a big revision of that manuscript. And in December of 2017, the same thing. Another book overhaul under my belt. This wasn’t on purpose, though!
I’ve found that writing, like life, comes in seasons.
This time of year always feels like a very particular writing season to me. Maybe it’s the dwindling number of daylight hours or the fact that so much energy goes towards the holidays, but December usually feels like a winding down in my writing life.
As the year ends, I finish lingering projects and let them marinate, or start playing with smaller pieces to see what they might want to be. It’s a low-pressure, low-stakes time.
I don’t usually begin major revisions or start new, longer projects in early winter.
If you’re like me and you slow down a bit in December, I have some thoughts on how you can do that without losing your writing flow completely.
Because it IS possible. You can slow down and still sustain your writing life, even if all you want to do is hibernate until May.