Here we are again! Another year in which we try to find ways to improve ourselves across the spectrum. New skills to learn, new commitments to ourselves, and new beginnings to the year. Sometimes, they see us through to the end of the year; other times, not so much. Either way, I think it’s healthy to look back on the year and try to figure out where we can use improvement or even just to take stock and see if we’re where we want to be in our lives. The last few years have certainly been full of challenges and changes, but also a lot of things that have improved us (or perhaps are still in the course of improving us). Whatever the circumstances, I always like to try and put some goals down in order to fully take advantage of the year, especially when it comes to my writing. So, here are my Writer’s Resolutions for 2023:
Write for 1 Hour Every Day: I have, admittedly, slipped a little bit in the past few months. I’ve gone through some pretty drastic changes in my work life and part of me is still recovering from the ricochet of all that. Still, going into 2023, I’m feeling more comfortable about that situation and I’m ready to start committing my time more intentionally. I want to get back to writing at the same interval every day. My old schedule doesn’t quite fit with my new routine, but I’m trying to carve out time to work on my writing more diligently and keep that consistent every day (the easiest way to form a habit is repetition). I want to make that time sacred and keep to it as much as I would to any work schedule.
Submit Once A Week: The easiest way to win at poker is when you’re holding all the cards. Granted, that’s not how poker is supposed to be played, but the metaphor stands. I want to regularly and diligently query my novel and submit my short fiction to magazines, etc. I blame this falling off on a number of factors, but won’t go into that. The point is, I need to do more to get my work seen and read if I want it to go anywhere. So I want to submit more of what I write rather than let it simmer in my hard drive while running off of hope. You can only win if you play.
Find a Writing Group: This one is one I should have done a while ago, but with the state of things when I moved back, it got more and more difficult to make that happen. I would like to find a group of individuals who also write. This would be partly to talk shop, but also to share victories and commiserate on the challenges. Writing classes and workshops are great to work on your craft, but there’s the emotional aspect of things that a lot of non-writers don’t fully appreciate. Having that built-in support network of people who are also working on telling stories would be a tremendous help to getting that social aspect of writing life back on track.
So, there you have it. Three, solid, actionable goals for 2023. It will require some discipline on my part, but I think there’s a way to make it all come together in the end. More goals will probably come up as the year progresses, but there’s never a bad time to start thinking ahead and getting things in order. Do you have any goals for the coming year?
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