I LOVE September. It has a special kind of energy to it that you only really get in January, but (in my opinion) it is so much better.
Whereas January is cold and dark, coming down from the high of Christmas to the miserable prospect of an interminable winter ahead, September is time of transformation and excitement. You will (hopefully) have had a restful summer and be ready to jump back into projects with a renewed sense of vigour, this is why I treat September as a new 'New Year'.
So how can you make the most of this magical time?
Check in on your resolutions and make new ones
The best thing about setting new resolutions in September, is that four months is a much more manageable period of time than twelve. So take a look back at what your goals were in January and see how far you have come. How can you tweak these to ensure that you achieve what you need to do by the end of the year? Maybe these resolutions no longer serve you, and if that is the case this is a great moment to create new ones that you can do by the end of December.
Remember to make these goals as realistic as possible. Whereas "write a novel' might have felt realistic in January, 'finish the first draft' might be more realistic now. But that is the great thing about setting goals over a shorter period, it forces you to be more realistic and specific with your goals, making them less overwhelming.
NaNoWriMo
Another great thing about this time of year is National Novel Writing Month. I would highly recommend getting involved in some way or another and factoring it in when you make your September goals. If you don't know, NaNoWriMo is a month where writers from all over the world try to write the first draft of their book in one month. It is a messy, underwritten heart draft, but it is a great way to kick off a new project. Since 2018 I have written a new book every year in November, each of which I have gone on to edit and love. It is such a great way of making sure you start one new project a year to keep your creative energy alive as it is easy to get stuck in the weeds with editing and existing projects.
Back to school
I love that September has that back to energy to it, and alongside starting a new project in NaNoWriMo, I would definitely recommend using these last few months of the year to learn something new about writing that has maybe been bugging you. For me, I want to read more about prose and sentence structure for when I get into the next stage of editing. Because we are always in the drafting, editing or publishing stages, it can be really hard to set time aside from writing to learn about writing, but this time of year always feels perfect for it.
I know that September might already feel like the end of the year and that holidays are just around the corner, but I promise that these months can hold so much productivity if you just focus your goals and keep your eye on the finish line.
Meet Megan Beth Davies
Megan Beth Davies is writer of fantasy and folklore with a generous helping of romance. She grew up by the wild English sea, reading old fairy tales by Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson and Andrew Lang. She studied languages, classical literature and ancient history through her school years, inspiring a lot of what she writes today. She writes tales that transport the reader to another time and place and speak to the heart.
Megan lives with her partner and cockapoo in a hundred year old Edwardian house on the South Coast of England. When she is not writing, you will find her reading, hosting historical dinner parties or practicing yoga (albeit badly). She is currently working on her debut fantasy novel. You can follow Megan on Instagram @meganbethdavies or follow her on goodreads.
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