Having all of this extra time over the holidays has been good for my writing life. During the first part of the week, I read Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s Textbook. Her nonlinear writing style is so freeing and interesting. She inspired me to be more playful with my own writing (which is hard for me, but I had time to give it a try).
Here is my Christmas Summary:
Christmas, 2017
Holiday traditions all around
Reading our favorite holiday books, snuggled on the couch
SwedIsh Christmas Eve dinner
Santa’s yearly note with cookies and carrots for the reindeer
Tons of time with family
My girls, home for days on end
GAmes, all sorts
Snow on Christmas morning!
And to all of you,
Have a healthy
And
Peaceful, but also
Productive
Year
in
2018!
Writing to Learn, Learning to Write 
I have made a conscious choice to use the word play when I talk or think about my writing. It’s a powerful mind shift. Words are fun! Thanks for sharing yours and Happy New Year! (I can really relate to the “My girls, home for days on end” line–wonderful, isn’t it?)
That was fun to read!
Such whimsy in this post! Play is what I love most about writing! Stepping out of your comfort zone as a writer – now that’s a way to kick off a new year!! Thanks for sharing!
Sounds like a vacation well spent!
Loved the whimsical style of your writing too! (BTW: AKR’s daughter will be coming out with a book she co-authored with her mom, before her untimely passing, later this year. Just read about it on her Instagram in the past week.)
Thank you! I really didn’t know AKR before hearing of her passing (and reading her incredible piece in the NY Times – the ad for her husband, Jason). I have fallen in love with her writing and the way she looked at the world. I am now excited to read this new book you mention here. Thank you for the head up!
I love that this writing challenge pushes everyone to try new things in their writing once in a while! I love this poem.
It remains important to have fun with writing, to maintain a sense of play. Amy’s approach is an excellent model to follow. Making use of a holiday break to dive into some writing makes perfect sense. The mind clears and the words emerge on the page. May you continue to have such moments in your writing life.
I enjoyed Textbook thoroughly. Thanks for the reminder and for sharing this playful, seasonal piece.