Writer’s Top Ten New Year’s Resolutions

If you’re looking for some realistic writing goals for 2015, here’s a guide to get you started.

#1. Resolve to think of yourself as a writer.

One of the hardest parts of becoming a writer is that when you’re still trying to break into the field, you don’t feel like a bonafide writer until you’ve been published. But that’s not true. Being a writer isn’t defined by having an agent or publisher. It’s defined when you commit to a professional approach to your writing.

#2 Resolve to write on a regular basis, daily if possible.

Writers write. Books don’t happen overnight. It takes days, weeks, sometimes months slogging out the words to get a finished manuscript. The key is to not get paralyzed with fear as to whether the writing is good enough, or if anyone will like it when it’s finished. You must keep moving forward and develop as a writer through a lot of trial and error. This only happens when you show up on a regular basis and write.

#3 Resolve to finish a major work this year.

So often I hear of writers who spend years working on the same book. No doubt there are great works of literature that demand that, but if you’re hoping for a more commercial book then consider what’s stopping you from finishing it. Set a deadline. Force yourself to show up at the computer. Put out words even when its hard, when it feels like you have no inspiration. Sometimes that’s when the greatest inspiration strikes. Rather than let another year go by that is piled up with excuses why you didn’t finish that story, get ‘er done.

#4 Resolve to learn more about your craft.

Writing is an evolving process. Like any sport or profession, you cannot get better at it unless you both practice at it and get great coaching. Practice comes in many forms. Writing. Studying other writers. Reading books in your genre. Coaching can be found in the form of the many great editors who work on a fee-for-service basis, or by joining a writing group that can offer feedback by peers. Attend conferences in your specific genre so you can meet other aspiring writers and learn from the pros how the business really works.

#5 Resolve to submit your work

As scary as it is to face rejection, having a manuscript gathering dust in your drawer won’t advance your dream of being a writer. Better to be rejected and take the lumps and be part of the group of rejected writers then the group that never tried.

#6 Resolve not to listen to the voice in your head.

If you’re a writer, you know what voice I’m speaking of. The voice that whispers it’s too hard. It’s not good enough. Why bother? It is so easy to shoot ourselves down. There are plenty of people out in the world who will do that when you do get published, so resolve to be more supportive of your dream. Think positively when you’re writing. Remember writers have the greatest job in the world. They get to create magic. Transcend reality. Suspend belief. Create anything they can imagine without limits. So be nicer to yourself. You can be a good writer if you work at it. If you’re lucky and have both the talent and the craft, you can be great.

#7 Resolve to try something different.

As writers develop their voice, they can sometimes get stuck in a rut. Their voice grows stale, repetitive, an echo of every other voice they have heard. A compendium of sameness. Resolve to break out of your rut this year. Write in a fresh voice. Expand your idea of what is possible. Inject some new life into your characters. Challenge them to rise to new heights and they will take you with them.

# 8 Resolve to expand your network of writer friends.

Some of my best friends are fictional. Writers tend to be loners. This year, resolve to build your network of writer friends. Make time to have coffee with them and talk shop. Find friends to go to conferences with. Your resolve as a writer will grow and your connection to writing will be strengthened by your friendships with kindred spirits.

# 9 Resolve to read.

The surest path to being a great writer is to read books by great writers. Read every book you can get your hands on. Don’t be afraid to scribble on them, circle metaphors you like, underline moving passages, highlight a turn of phrase that made you choke up. As you dig into other writer’s secrets, you develop a knowledge that will help you in your own writing.

# 10 Resolve to never give up. Ever.

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