I Wish You a Zoomy Christmas

 

 

It's a party, circa 2020. And it was lovely. About fifty people from the Northern California chapters of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America got together yesterday afternoon for cocktails, chocolate tasting, and chat. You had to bring your own, but everyone expected that. We got some writing tips, and thanks to Gigi Pandian showing us her keyboard/typewriter/coolest thing ever, I now know what I want from Santa.

How did I not know this existed?

But back to how we socialize at this moment in time. I set an alarm on my phone so I wouldn't forget. I kept my comfy pants on. I wore my slippers. And even with that appallingly easy amount of preparation, I had to force myself to sit down for it. Not because of the activity, but because of the delivery mechanism. I'm Zoomed out. But I'm really glad I put my butt in the chair. It was wonderful to see friends and have some fun. 

So yes, I learned my lesson—don't be a Scrooge. So from me, virtually and otherwise, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays.

Tidings of comfort and joy

by: Joelle Charbonneau

With the holidays upon us there is much joy in the air.  Packages to be wrapped, holiday services to attend and lots of concerts, parties and laughter.  It is a time to celebrate surrounded by family and friends.

Of course, the holidays have a more melancholy side.  Because while we celebrate with the family we hold close, we cannot help but think about those whom we love that are no longer here with us.  Two years ago today, we lost my father-in-law, Joe Blanco.  To say he loved the holidays is an enormous understatement.  He had huge faith and an even bigger heart.   To him, the holidays were about family, goofy hats, fun, music and helping others.  He worked at the homeless shelter, made sure older members of the community were healthy and safe and went to nursing homes with his vocal group to spread holiday joy.

I miss him.

There is a hole left in our lives that can never be filled by his loss.  I also miss my father.  This year is the fifth holiday season spent without him.

And yet, as sad as I am that they are no longer here to lend their strength and love, when I look at the brightly wrapped presents under the tree I think of them and the wondrous gift I had by having them in my life.  And the gift that loving them continues to bring me every day.  And while it is not as good as having them here to share everything life brings, I am comforted by the memories I have and thinking of the happy moments fills me with warmth.

So, for all of you out there celebrating the holidays with family and missing those who have left us behind--my heart is with you.  May you find joy in the season.  And if you see a light shining a little more brightly on your tree, think of it as those who are not there with you sending their love.

Happy Holidays.  Merry Christmas.  And most of all my thanks for all of the support you have given me and my fellow DSD writers throughout the year.  May the end of 2013 bring you many wonderful moments and I hope there will be great happiness for each one of you in 2014.

The holidays are coming! The holidays are coming!

by: Joelle Charbonneau

Yep...it's that time of year again. When I desperately attempt to juggle shopping, decorating, family events, baking and all things writing.  (This year I also get to juggle some remodeling that is occurring due to a broken pipe, too.  I know how to party!)  I have to admit that I have a love/hate relationship with the holidays.  I love everything about them...which is my problem.  Because I want to jump into the holiday fun with both feet, which leaves me fighting to carve out time to write.  That's always an issue.  And with the INDEPENDENT STUDY tour fast approaching, I have to write.

So...in an effort to streamline my holiday efforts, I am looking for help from you - the DSD reading public.  Books are among my favorite gifts to give for the holidays.  Normally, I spend hours browsing through the bookstore looking for the perfect story to give my family or friends.  And while I have a few ideas about what I might give this year, I am hoping you can help me cross some gifts off my shopping list.

What are the books that you have loved and are interested in giving this holiday season?  Kids books?  Adult?  Crime fiction?  Historical?  I want all your recommendations.  Tell me why it would make a great gift...and if it is your own book, so much the better!  Pitch me your favorite reads and help me (and anyone else looking for gifts) cross one of my to-do items off my list this year.

"Who's Got a Beard that's long and white?"

By Russel D McLean

I don't know about you, but I'm having a busy week of it. Given the nature of my day job, I've been a little tired upon returning home at nights. But its almost over. Its a lot of work for one day a year, but for me its never been about the gifts so much as its been about the family. And the music.

Chritmas at Casa McLean isn't about the usual Chrimbo tunes. We like to find the odd and the unusual. From Dad's obsession with redneck Christmas music to the whole family's recently discovered adoration of Bob Dylan's unfairly maligned Christmas album - here's Bob with Santa Claus (which was apparently filmed at Casa McLean judging by that party):



And of course we also have to bring in the funk. And who says Christmas more than James Brown?

James Brown - Santa Claus, go Straight to the Ghetto


To bring it down, we recently discovered that Dave Brubeck has an amazing collection of Christmas tunes. Like this - -Dave Brubeck - Walking in a Winter Wonderland


And then there's these guys. We're not a particularly religious family. For us, this time of year is about spending time with each other. But if you're going to bring a bit of gospel to your Christmas, you really can't do any better than these guys: Blind Boys of Alabama fear Tom Waits - Go, Tell it on the Mountain


Yes, today's post was a little lazy; a bunch of videos with a vague theme. But I just wanted to wish you all on behalf of Do Some Damage a happy holiday season, whatever you're doing with yourselves and however you choose to spend it. Take care and I'll see you on the other side.

Russel

*Answer - not Russel. At least not for a few years.

Holiday Writing – Bah Humbug!

by: Joelle Charbonneau

'Tis the season for shopping, baking, wrapping and singing. Well, it’s always the season for singing for me, but you get the point. The holidays are here and I love celebrating them with family and friends.

Unfortunately, the holiday fun also brings with it writing frustrations. The time I normally have set aside during the day for writing is now filled with baking gingerbread houses and wrapping presents. And now that my son is almost 3 – he wants to help, which makes everything take longer.

When I first started writing, I decided I didn’t need to write during the holidays. I would tinker a bit with whatever story I was working on the week after Thanksgiving and then I would put it away until after the New Year. With everything else going on, this seemed like a good plan. Besides, I was doing this for fun. It wasn’t like a job or anything. Until last year. Once my agent sold my manuscript, I decided that if I really wanted to make this writing thing into a career, I had to give writing during the holidays a shot. I had about 10,000 words to finish on my work in progress. Normally I write about 25,000-30,000 words in a month. 10,000 should be no problem right?

Wrong.

The book didn’t get finished until after the New Year. Yes, I got some writing done, but I struggled with finding time to write every day. If there is one thing I know about me, the writer, is that I need to write every day. When I don’t write every day it takes twice as long for me to write anything. So each day I forced myself to get at least one or two paragraphs written. If I was lucky, I would manage a whole page. I limped along forcing myself to try to write, feeling the ending so close and yet so far away.

Not fun.

As frustrated as I was with the process of writing during the holidays, I was glad I forced myself to do it. It taught me a couple of important things that I am going to use to help me keep sane while writing during this holiday season.

1) Finish a project before the holiday season arrives. This might not be possible, but if it is - do it! The desire to get to THE END can sometimes be all-consuming. Which means not getting to THE END leads to huge frustration. The holidays are already stressful enough, no matter how enjoyable. I will type THE END on my current WIP in the next day or so. Trust me when I say after last year's holiday writing drought I busted my butt to get it done before I started decking the halls.

2) Try to schedule your writing so you begin a new project during the holiday months. Beginnings are filled with enthusiasm and optimism. It is much easier to begin a new project during this time of year for me and for many other writers I know. That’s the time when the writing feels more playful and less focused. When the calendar year flips, you then have a solid base to start seriously building on.

3) Give yourself permission to take a day, a week or several weeks off from writing. Not writing can be frustrating, especially if you are trying hard to get pages done and things keep getting in the way. For me the best way to alleviate the frustration is to give myself permission to not write. This sounds simplistic, but the sheer act of choosing not to write instead of being forced not to write can make all the difference in the world. Choosing to take the day off means you’ll enjoy whatever task, party or family adventure the day has in store as opposed to anger at being separated from your keyboard. (I’ve been there and done that – zero fun. Trust me.) The one thing I have learned is that when I give myself permission to take a day off, the story is free to work out pesky little details in the back of my brain without me being aware of it. That’s a win-win all the way around.

I’m sure there are lots of other great tips for writing during the holidays. I have a feeling Steve Weddle has a bunch that involve eating lots of cookies. Feel free to share them with all of us. I know this year I will be making another attempt to type lots of pages while jingling my bells. That combo means I’ll need all the help I can get.