New Year’s Writing Resolutions – How to Not Break Them

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday, no matter what you celebrated.

So, did you put together a list of Resolutions that you wanted to keep for 2012? I did… the usual – “lose weight manifesto”, but I have a deadline this time, because of my friend’s upcoming wedding where I’ll be a bridesmaid. I seriously need to lose some weight fast!

Aside from that, instead of creating a list of resolutions that I need to keep the whole year-long (yeah right, who actually does that?), I am creating monthly ones. Call them monthly goals if you want… might take some of that pressure off the word “resolution.” Whatever works.

For example, in January, my resolution is to enter 1 writing contest, query 2 agents, edit 5 chapters, blog at least once per week and sign up for RWA Nationals. Might be a bit lofty with my hectic schedule, but as the month wears on, I’ll establish my February’s resolutions rather than arbitrarily setting them all at the beginning of the year. I figure that it makes these monthly resolutions easier to stick to.

Also starting in February, my local RWA chapter is hosting their annual PALs challenge where we write a book in 8 months. I’m definitely signing up for that while I continue to edit and query my current manuscript. Hopefully you have a group of friends or a local chapter where you guys can continually set monthly goals to keep the momentum going. It made a world of difference for me and helps ease the anxiety of waiting for contest results or to hear back from agents.

And for those who could care less about New Year’s Resolutions, Calvin sums it up best:

Calvin & Hobbes