Look Back on Your Year

2010 is coming fast - but don't let 2009 fall behind without looking back at what you've accomplished.

Today, your job is not to soak yourself in Christmas work; you don't need to read writing tips and tricks either. Your job is to look back on all that you've written and ask yourself: how far have I come, and where should I go?

How has my writing improved in 2009? What else should I do to improve my writing?

Are there bad writing habits that I still haven't shaken off? How will I shake them off? What good writing habits have I picked up this year? How will I keep these habits up, into 2010 and beyond?

Writing may be an art and a craft, but it's also a lot of work. See how much you've learned and plodded through in 2009, and you can get a good idea of how good 2010 will be for your writing life.

Happy Reading!

A Triad for All the Shopping!

Do you have the time to write a 300-word story? All you need are the three elements that follow, all of which should figure in your work:

1. candy cane
2. candle
3. wreath

These three things should fit into your story, along with your own plot and characters. Another rule: DO NOT MAKE IT A CHRISTMAS-THEMED STORY. This exercise should help you craft your own story without being influenced by the hubbub and ruckus all around you.

When you are done, post your work in the Comments section, or provide a link to it. Good luck and happy writing!

Unblock to Relax!

The holidays can truly be stressful, and you will want to escape the crowds and noise if only to find yourself again. You can get drowned out in the hubbub, but you don't have to; try an unblocker when you find a 15-minute window of spare time.

An unblocker is not only a good way to help you get your writing started. It can also relax you and make you feel that you still own something, that you are not being drawn away by an untamed tide.

Are you ready? Pick up a pencil/pen and paper, or open a blank document on your computer. Use the following sentence as your prompt, and then write on and on and on.

"I would like to get away from all this."

You don't have to turn the entire thing into a story. All you need a few thoughts, and you can simply write until your 15 minutes run out. Don't go back and edit, don't look at your grammar, and forget all the rules of punctuation and spelling. This is no publication quality work; this is an unblocker to help you get the day out of your hair.

Happy writing!

It's the What If That You Might Want

December is the busiest time of the year, and it's not just about Christmas. People wrap up work, get ready for travel, close accounts, close books, and, in general, get into a lot of scrapes and messes. But what if it was calm?

What if the world went all quiet in December?

"All quiet" means so many things. It can mean that the malls close and no one can shop, or it can mean that people aren't rushing to get their work done. What it means is up to you. You can choose a plot and your characters, but you can't write anything beyond 1000 words. When you are done, post your short story in the Comments section, or provide a link to it.

Good luck and happy writing!

Complete It for the Holidays!

Here's a questionnaire that you can print out or fill out when you have that little pocket of spare time. Keeping your creative juices flowing can actually make your holiday more exciting. So don't balk at the prospect of working on your writing: you're just taking the humdrum out of your December!

Be as creative as possible when you fill out the blanks:

1. The best gift that I ever received was _____________ from ___________.
2. I think the best gift that I've ever given was the ______________ I gave to ___________.
3. ________ the ___________ with _________ of _________.
4. The ___________ on a __________ symbolize __________.
5. My favorite _________ movie is _____________ and I would love to watch it with _________.
6. If I had a Christmas tree, it would be colored ______________, filled with ___________, and with a __________ on top.
7. I want to get ___________ this ___________ because I can't ___________.
8. When I ___________ a __________, I like ____________.
9. One day, when I __________, I can ___________ as many times as I want.
10. It's fun to ___________ if you're not _____________.

A First Sentence on the Heels of Christmas

The holidays are upon us, and if you aren't careful, you could end up not writing anything and getting into Writing Muscle Atrophy. Make sure that you take time off from shopping and greeting card writing/sending to write just a little bit and keep your creative juices flowing.

You need to write a story now, and you don't have to go very far. In fact, you have only 200 words, and no more. You need to write something on the basis of this first sentence:

This December is going to be hot.

You need to write in first person, and you can have as many characters as you like to people your 200-word masterpiece. When you are done, post your work in the Comments section, or provide a link to it. Good luck and happy writing!

A Bit of Holiday Goo!

The holidays are upon us! And they can squash your writing too!

Just before you head off and shop, here's some quick goo that will keep you on your writing toes. Below are three everyday objects, followed by three characteristics of any everyday object. Pair each of the objects with each of the characteristics (making nine total possible combinations). Use all these nine combinations in your very own advertising spree!

You have only 100 words at your disposal to share a story about your experiences with the object (with its assigned characteristic). It doesn't have to be a true story: but it has to be convincing enough to make a sale! This exercise should help you stay alert and still have a great sense of humor, no matter what time of the year.

Ready? Here's your goo!

mug blanket turkey
red warm cheap

When you are done, post your best story in the comments section, or provide a link to your work. Good luck and happy writing!