Tayari Jones helps you -- and your draft-- survive the holiday season.

If you have stepped foot in a retail establishment anywhere in the United States, then you know that the holiday season is in full effect. All of the fitness websites are offering bullet point lists about how to stay on your diet during the holidays, but what about sticking with your writing goals?

It’s hard to stay with your goals during any random week or month--putting yourself first can be a challenge for all of us--but this dynamic gets even deeper when it’s time to deck the halls.

One of the most important things is to set a reasonable goal. I am not recommending a scorched policy where you blow off your great grandma who wants you to go caroling with her. But you should carve out a designated amount of time for your writing. A nice range is about 50-70% of the time that you normally spend writing.

I am going to aim for three hours a week spent working on my new work. I'll probably divide the time into two 90 minute sessions. No, it’s not a LOT of time, but it adds up and will keep your project moving forward. (When I was participating in a diet program, the group leader told us that during the holidays, the goal was not to lose weight, but just to maintain.)

The key word in all this is reasonable. You want to set goals you can actually meet. Although setting a high goal can give you a rush for a couple of days, failing to meet that goal can be extremely discouraging and lead you to say “oh just forget it” and not write anything else until New Year’s Day. But even with reasonable, doable goals, it can still be difficult to carve out your own time. Tell the people in your life what you’re up to and let them know how important it is.

Once your friends and family know that on two mornings a week (and tell them WHICH mornings !) you will not be available to wrap presents, give free therapy, knead dough, or clean house, they will stop trying to pull you away—either because they are really supportive people, or because they realize that you won’t budge. Or if you are Minnie Multitasker, use the 90 minutes while that pound cake is baking. All that good smell from the kitchen will make everyone think you're busy being wifely, motherly, or otherwise girly. (Yes, I believe in secret-agent tactics, is that's what it takes. And, you can always pretend to run errands and plunk yourself down in a café or library and get some scribbling in.)

A couple of weeks ago, in the comments on my no-NaNo post, we talked a little bit about process acceptance. I plan to write another post about this later, but during the holiday time, this is a crucial dynamic. Nurture yourself and your project this month. For many people, the holidays are a fraught time. Do not make yourself more anxious/worried/stressed by feeling that you are letting yourself down by not writing enough. Do not fret over word count. Use your three hours a week however you want, as long as you are getting closer to your finishing your project. If it’s journaling, that’s fine. Character sketches? Cool. Google research on your topic counts, too. During this time, we just want you to keep the project alive in your head and heart.

Lastly, buy yourself a writerly gift. It could be a nice journal, maybe some ink for your fountain pen. I once bought myself some cashmere feet-pajamas. (Don’t laugh, my muse loves them!). Don’t let the year end without giving yourself some and your book some love.

Tell me, SheWriters--how do you survive the holidays? And what will be your writerly gift-to-self this year?

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