Do Yer Own Thing

By Katriena Knights

Over the holidays, especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas, it seems like we get inundated with messages about how we “should” celebrate the holidays. What you’re supposed to eat, how you’re supposed to decorate, who you’re supposed to invite where—it gets overwhelming.

A few years ago, I realized Christmas was getting far too stressful for me, mostly because putting up the tree was so time-consuming, and the tree itself took up so much room. So we went out and bought a 3-foot-high, purple, pre-lit tree. My daughter decorates it every year with pictures from whatever fannish thing she’s into that year. This year it’s a Sleepy Hollow tree, and instead of regular Christmas lights, we have jack-o’-lantern lights hung among the stockings. We’ve had a Luigi tree, a Teen Wolf tree, and an Assassins’ Creed tree.

This year for Thanksgiving, I decided to mix things up with that holiday, as well. My kids took a vote on what we wanted to eat and discovered nobody really likes turkey. So we had tacos for lunch, then for dinner we had sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes with corn, and green bean casserole.

What’s the point of this, other than that my family is weird? Well, I often find myself similarly overwhelmed with what I “should” be doing with my writing career (and even more overwhelmed sometimes with what I “shouldn’t” be doing). With all these differing voices, I end up chasing other people’s ideas, following other people’s advice, and never quite focusing on what I want from my writing.

One of my New Year’s resolutions is to apply my holiday strategy to my relationship with the publishing industry. If the “experts” say I should be eating turkey, I’m going to stop and think really hard about whether I really want to eat turkey. If I’ve got a major jones for a drumstick, then fine—I’ll grab me some drumstick. But if it feels like the right thing to do, I’m going to have tacos instead.

This is my last monthly post for the RMFW blog. I want to thank everybody who’s read my posts for the last year or so. It’s been super fun, but I’m going to focus on my own blog for a while and see if I can’t blow some of the dust out of its nooks and crannies, as it’s been pretty neglected lately. I hope everyone has a fantastic holiday season, followed by a new year overflowing with successes and a career direction that feels right for you—even if it means your Christmas tree is full of Abbybod fan art.