Post-Christmas Slump?

So Christmas is all over for another year – the preparations, the excitement, the cooking and decorating. And I think I’m suffering from post-Christmas “slump”. I even thought it was Wednesday today, so I must have missed a day in between there somehow, but I’ve been rushing around doing stuff for so long now, one day here or there doesn’t seem to matter. They all pass in a blur. Does anyone else feel like this?

I enjoyed Christmas, of course I did, but it’s all over too quickly I think. All that food you cooked – gone in ten minutes flat. Presents – opened in a flash and squirreled away, leaving the tree looking a bit naked. But to be honest, I have to admit I love the preparations more anyway – the run-up to Christmas is the magical time for me. Starting at the beginning of December with the lighting of the first Advent candle, then shopping for presents, sending cards, baking, cooking and present-wrapping as well as buying the tree and decorating the house, it’s all such fun! The build-up is the exciting part, not the actual day itself.

In a way, it’s a bit like writing – the pre-writing time is so much more exciting than actually working on a novel. I love that moment when you first get an idea for a story and it starts to tease at your brain. The characters take shape in your mind and you spend hours thumbing through name books (or looking at baby name websites) trying to find the perfect names for them. You do some research, start a new file, try to think of a great title for your story. Then you sit down and type, getting carried away.

Before you know it, the book is finished and it’s all over! Post-book “slump”? Yes, but luckily not for long, because the great thing about books is that you can start another one straight away if you want to. Unlike Christmas, which only comes once a year, you can write as many books as you like – well, thank goodness for that! Actually, come to think of it, I have this great idea so what better way to beat the post-Christmas doldrums? I’d better get writing ...

Happy New Year everyone! Hope 2012 is a brilliant year for all of us!