In December, 2021, I went deep into something I called the Advent Project. I like the concept of Advent, because I like
temporal landmarks, and Advent, being a roughly month-long season in the Christian liturgical calendar, is very much a temporal landmark. However, not everyone knows what Advent and the liturgical calendar are. Many Christians don't know what the liturgical calendar is. It occurred to me that calling it the Holiday Hell Project instead would not just be better communication in terms of people understanding it, but better communication in terms of what is actually happening here. We're talking about a project during Holiday Hell.
My legions of followers know that I have whined and complained about surviving December for years. And years. But that 2021 Holiday Hell Project kind of turned my life around. At least in December. I described how it came about back in February, 2022. That's not a story to brag about. But I was happy with how things turned out.
How Did Things Turn Out, Gail?
Well, what happened was that I accepted that I wasn't a writer who could write a lot during the month of December. It's all I can do to juggle writing and personal life during regular times of the year. Holiday Hell...I won't say it's beyond me. But it kind of is. And I am aware that I have it easy. Years ago, it wasn't unheard of for me to have a contractual deadline for a completed book draft in January, which meant some under-the-knife work in December. Yeah, that doesn't happen, anymore. Plus, I do not have to generate income in December. We're talking a privileged person here, and still I struggle to get to December 26.
So, in 2021, I accepted that I wasn't someone who could write a lot during December, but I could write some. The writing I did was short starts of flash and humor. And my goal was to do one every day. I found material in old writing journals. Some may have come from working files, things I'd started and revised during December, 2021.
- In 2021 I started 31 pieces. Eight of them were later completed and published. One has been completed and submitted.
That was a major success for me. I actually looked forward to 2022.
Things didn't go as well in 2022.
- I had only 15 starts. One was recently finished and submitted, though I must admit that I'd forgotten that I did anything with it in 2022 and started over again.
- I had 31 starts, but some of them were extremely brief with just a list of writing prompt questions to work on with them at a later time. One of them did become a traditional short story, though, and has been subbed a few times. It's out right now, in fact.
Are You Doing This Again, Gail? Because It Doesn't Look as If You Kept Up with This Very Well
Well, here's the thing. In December of 2022 and again in 2023, we had a family member waiting to have medical tests and/or waiting for results of medical tests. All resolved itself well, very well. But it's called Holiday Hell for a reason, folks. Even this year the cat just started two meds.
But as Holiday Hells go, this year's is pretty copacetic, as a man I worked for when I was a teenager used to say. I am enjoying my Holiday Hell project this year.
In fact, I'm going through the starts from earlier years, seeing if there's anything I want to continue with. And by golly, there is. I haven't finished looking at the 2021 starts, and I've already moved six to this year. And there's a couple more I've got my eye on. Then there are the 2022 and 2024 starts to look at. And my writer's journal. And my filing cabinet. I suspect I won't even get to that, though.
I'm hopeful that what I'm doing this month will make it possible for me to hit the ground running in 2025 and bring a bunch of these starts to completion. Then start submitting them.
For me the Holiday Hell Project takes a lot of the work burden off December and leaves me feeling very positive about the upcoming new year. It's all good.
Except for that title, of course.
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