By Larry Leech @LarryJLeechII

We are just weeks away from the most insane and intense time of the year.

Running here. Running there. Never stopping to take a break. Or a breath.

Tis the glorious season, right?

Well, my hope for you is that it will be the season to enjoy family and friends, no matter your religious belief.

Over the years, I’ve talked with numerous writers who furiously work toward a self-imposed deadline of finishing a book by December 31. I understand the desire to finish before we flip the calendar over to a new year.

I used to be one of those guys. But not anymore. As I have grudgingly, at times, moved through this fifth decade of my life, I prefer to chill during the holiday season. I no longer prefer running around like a crazy person trying to get everything done. You know baking, decorating, buying presents—for family, friends, and, of course, a little something for me!

Easing into the holiday season has become the normal routine with my wife Wendy. We’ve discovered that we enjoy the waning weeks of the year if our calendar isn’t filled every day from sunup to sundown. Moving my writing deadline from December 31 to December 15 has played a major role in how much less stress and how much more fun we have during the holiday season.

The earlier date will allow you to finish before the last crush of the holiday season so you can make memories with the family watching holiday movies, checking out the lights, and all the things we do during the most wonderful time of the year.

Trying to write the final two chapters of your book during those last two weeks can add a lot of stress. If you change your deadline, you have just under two months to tweak your word count or writing schedule in order to meet the new, and hopefully better, December 15 deadline.

Then enjoy the last few weeks of 2021 knowing your book is done.

Writing coach of award-winning novelists, Larry J. Leech II has spent nearly 40 years working with words. After a 23-year journalism career that began in 1981, Larry moved into freelance writing and editing in 2004. He has ghostwritten nearly 30 books and edited more than 250 manuscripts. Larry teaches at numerous conferences nationwide and can be found online on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and his website, www.larryleech.com.