Jessie: In New Hampshire where the holiday spirit is finally wafting through the house!
Usually by now I would have wrapped many, if not most, of the gifts. I would have sent out the cards and would have made several batches of cookies. The gift knitting would be well in hand and so would any other handmade gifts.
But this year I still have a large project on the knitting needles and another yet to be cast on. In fact, I haven’t even decided on the right yarn for the job. I have four pairs of pajama pants that need cutting out and stitching up. I’ve only baked a single batch of cookies, and a small one at that. Not only are the gifts not wrapped, most have still not been purchased.
On Thurdsay I decided to take myself firmly in hand and to apply the same strategy to the holidays that I do to my writing projects. After all, both involve strict deadlines and creativity. As soon as I dropped the aforementioned puppy at the groomer I returned home, turned some holiday music and pulled out a pile of fabrics destined to become a picnic blanket for a dear friend.
When I started snipping and stitching I did not feel inspired. But just like with my writing sessions after a few minutes dedicated to the task the joy of creating took over. Before I knew it the blanket was made. I even felt inspired to do some decorating in my dining room after my sewing session. Who knew how much the writing life could come in handy!
Readers, how do you motivate yourself when you are not feeling enthusiastic about a task at hand? Writers, do you find your writing techniques help you in other parts of your life?