Where Are You, Christmas?

I'm getting pretty good at setting writing goals for myself and reaching them. But this is a busy time of year for most of us. In between sessions of writing and keeping up with my blogging, I've been shopping online, addressing Christmas cards and decorating. And finding myself with a definite lack of Christmas spirit.

I love this holiday and the time together with family. But my brain can't quite get around the idea that it's only two weeks away. But starting today, I'm going to indulge in some of my favorite Christmas movies, one per day until I start to feel the warmth of the holiday. There are a very large number of movies to select from.

George C. Scott in A Christmas Carol is probably my all time favorite. As a family, we like to watch the first Home Alone and of course, A Christmas Story. My daughter and I enjoy Prancer together at least once per season. My husband enjoys an annual showing of Jingle All the Way, corny but funny.

So for the next two weeks, I'm going to try to find that lovely anticipation for Christmas and still reach my writing goals. Is there a favorite holiday movie that you watch every year? What gets you in the holiday spirit? Have you set your writing goals aside for the next few weeks or do you keep pounding away at the keyboard among the wrapping paper and ribbons? Don't forget to sign up for the contest on the IWSG site.

IWSG: Join Us in a Contest

The first Wednesday of the month is always special as hundreds of bloggers join each other in support in the IWSG bloghop. The brainchild of Alex J. Cavanaugh, this wonderful, knowledgeable group help each other out with small tidbits of wisdom. Not long ago, Alex took the group one step further with the formation of the IWSG website. The pages of that site contain links to nearly everything a writer needs to know to make their way in this business. And I'm not just saying that because I'm part of that website. By joining the IWSG website and the IWSG Facebook page, you'll not have to take your writer's journey alone.

And to add to the many benefits of belonging to this wonderful group, today we're running a contest of prodigious proportions. Please join us and maybe take a bit of the generosity home with you.

And now to share a little wisdom and insecurity today I wanted to talk about failure. Everyone who has ever tried to be a writer has experienced failure of one sort or another. Rejected stories, published stories that don't sell well or receive negative reviews, and don't forget those book signings where no one shows up but your family. But each failure can teach a writer something. Without failure, there would be no drive to improve. The more we fail as writers, the more we write and try again. Don't take failure to heart, but use it as a step up to the next level.

So please visit the IWSG blog and join up today. You could win!!!! Also like our Facebook page. It's a pretty busy place.

Have your failures helped you learn something? Care to put a number on your rejections? Have you joined the IWSG blog or Facebook page?