Until a few weeks ago, my writing life looked like this:

I could feel the end coming. I could see it in those tiny numbers: 57, 87, 102 words cut. Weeks earlier it had been in the hundreds; if I was especially diligent, a thousand. When you’re trying to condense a novel down by several thousand words, these numbers are discouraging. Even though every words counts. You can see my steam running out:

But. It wasn’t interminable after all, for the Novel and I have reached The End. The End of this round of edits, that is. I’ve reached 140,000 words. My original plan was to get as close as possible to 125,000. I’ve reached my close-as-possible. In order to cut more I’d have to extract chapters and subplots that the story needs; it would mean unnecessary surgery on a healthy story-body. I started out with over 165,000 words and ended up with 140,000. It is still a victory.

I’m trusting my instincts on this one. I’ve been relaxed and at peace about this. I am not panicking. I am happy at what I’ve accomplished. Unlike previous years, I have no sense that I’ve left things undone. It is done because it is done, not because I’ve declared it so. Do you see the difference? I truly feel, know that it’s time to move on to the next step – querying – and stay there for as long as that takes.

In the meantime, December is a month of great distractions. My brain has needed a break – specifically the writer-part. Christmas is coming. I eyed the file cabinet still full of unused craft paper and cardstock and started something completely new. Something creative. Something beautiful. Something that got me completely out of my Novel and into the season. Christmas paper baubles!

I got the idea perusing Pinterest, which I hardly do anymore, and ran across websites like this and that. Simple, elegant, adaptable, they’ve piled up quickly and will be presents to many loved ones this Christmas. I absolutely adore them!

Step One: cut some circles.

When I first began this project, I traced the lid of a candle – the first round thing I could find. Then I remembered I had a little 1-inch puncher, which saved me from developing a large blister on my thumb and made the edges perfect and even. I went out and bought a 2.5 inch puncher for larger baubles, too.

The pattern of these circles of paper is completely up to you. Have them alternate, as above. Or make them all the same. The number doesn’t even matter so much. Even or odd, as few as four, as many as twenty, whatever suits.

Step Two: fold in half.

Fold these babies evenly with the pattern inside. I used a bone folder to make the edges crisp.

Step Three: Glue!

I used an ordinary all-purpose glue stick. Smear glue on one of the circle-folds, and press the second circle-fold to it – making sure to match the edges. Keep building, one circle to the other.

When all of the circle-folds are in place, glue and press the ends together. 

Step Four: Strings and Knots.

The complete bauble will look like this:

The little bauble has a convenient hole where all of its little circles meet. It is perfect for a string. The bigger the bauble, the bigger this hole will be. I’ve learned that if you use papers of different thicknesses, the hole will be uneven. I’ve found a way to cover that up, but if the hole otherwise looks fine, you really don’t need to mess with it.

I happened to have tons of hemp cord lying around – one ball of the stuff has lasted me years. It was perfect for stringing up these puppies.

Make a simple knot at the bottom and another at the top, being sure to leave a long loop. If the bauble’s hole is bigger than the knot, glue a small circle to the bottom and the top, and knot the string through that. Let the glue dry, and you’re done!

This is why I love Christmas: quiet, soothing activities, inexpensive and personal. All the little patterns and details and colors. In just a few weeks, much of the craft paper taking up space in my cabinet was put to good use and given a purpose. 

Once a season, several times a year, I get restless for a new artistic vista, and I’ve learned not to fight it. Winter is usually that season. At the end of editing, this bauble project has been a joy. Restful. A vacation. It’s a new creative outlet – we can’t just have one. That would be stifling – and boring! Limiting. 

I will soon return to querying, and while I could start on a new project (like the sequel to this novel or something else entirely), I’ll probably spend the winter performing little creative whimsies like this. For instance, I’m making a 2019 calendar with Anglo-Saxon month names and other nerdy references. And I’m organizing a Hygge Night for a few friends in January. Maybe in the spring I’ll be ready for the next thing… but I won’t force it. Not this year.