During the Christmas season, writers always hope for extra sales. We market our books on social media and ask for reviews. We may even write a special holiday book such as my Holiday Tips for Caregivers.
Image by Willgard / Pixabay
As creatives, it is also important for us to enjoy the holidays and nourish our creativity. How can we be intentional to enjoy the Christmas season and avoid the stress?
Bless Yourself.
We’re all busy trying to find those perfect gifts and fix Christmas treats. We focus on family and friends. Attend various Christmas activities. But as a creative, how can you bless yourself with something special?
Make a list and check it twice. That craft book you’ve been wanting? My choice this year is “Walking in this World” by Julia Cameron. Or check out one of my craft books, Marketing for Writers: How to Effectively Promote Your Words. Shameless promotion here.
How about a set of your favorite pens? Mine are the PenGel pens, especially dark purple. Great for book signings because they don’t smear.
Or a new journal designated for 2024? One of my clients gave me a beauty, and I can hardly wait to begin.
Read.
We spend our days with words, crafting sentences, paragraphs, and that unique a-ha moment. But as writers, we are also readers. In order to exhale words, we have to inhale words. Use the holiday season to spend to enjoy reading someone else’s words. And read from a variety of genres.
One of my friends gave me the series about The Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs. And my to-be-read pile begs for attention. Save your money and browse through the library. My local library has a walled fireplace. It’s a wonderful place to cozy up with some hot cocoa, sit close to the fire, and read.
Rest.
Several of my coaching clients have published books this year. Some pushed through to complete their manuscripts during December. I published two books this year, wrote some articles, and interviewed for some podcasts.
We all know the time and energy required to birth a book. So congratulate yourself on this immense accomplishment, then give yourself some time to rest. Turn off the electronics, give the computer and your fingers a break. Sleep in. Rest.
Encourage yourself during this beautiful season with a special blessing, a few great books to read, and some intentional naps. You can hit the ground running in January.
Merry Christmas to all. I’m headed to the library.
©2023 RJ Thesman – All Rights Reserved
If you need more choices for books to read, check out my Amazon Author Page.
Thank you. Merry Christmas.