In 2012,
I resolved to prevent the 2012 Apocalypse. The world didn’t end that year, so,
uh, you’re welcome. A year of two later, I resolved not to become a zombie,
another complete success. My winning streak ended, however, when I resolved to
be perfect and failed miserably. But hey, most people pick New
Year’s goals they never achieve.
As you
may have noticed, I don’t take New Year’s resolutions very seriously.
It’s not
that I’m against personal goals and self-improvement. I love those things,
really. As a writer, I know I always need to be pushing myself to refine my
skills and produce more manuscripts.
But I’m
also impatient, and if I make up my mind to do something, I’m not going to wait
for a new year to begin. I’m going to get started immediately.
I don’t
have any New Year’s resolutions, but as I head into 2018, these are some of the writing goals I'm working on.
1.
Finish my work-in-progress and start a new manuscript. I try to finish at least
one novel a year, as well as multiple smaller projects. This isn’t a New Year’s
resolution, I swear.
2. Do
more events. I’ve done several events this year, including one that took me to
Canada, multiple events in the Pacific Northwest, and a couple of Skype visits. This year, I’d like
to do more, especially in terms of school visits. (Are you a teacher who's interested in a school event? Let me know!)
3. Be more active online. I don’t think I’m the only one who’s had a hard time tweeting about writing with everything else that's going on in the world. I want to be accessible and to reach new readers, though, so I need to maintain an online presence.
4. Maintain a set schedule. Now that I work from home, it's sometimes hard to stick to real schedule. I think having one can help with productivity, though, so I'm trying to force myself to do it.
