My Obligatory New Year’s Post
January 2. Two days into 2016 and I haven’t managed to spill coffee on it or break anything. That’s a record.
Sitting down to write this, I looked back at last year’s New Year’s post … which wasn’t that hard because it seems I’ve largely forgotten about my blog and that was like, five posts back (bonus to being a slacker I guess).
A year ago, I said that 2015 was going to be the year of endings for me and that I would finish the follow up to Phoenix even if it nearly killed me. Well, friends, I probably finished it a hundred times, but it’s not ready for the world. I’m still breathing, but as my dear friends Susie and Chrissy explained during intervention therapy our critique group, being stuck on that novel stalled my writing career. They were so right (I can hear them now … Love you ladies!).
So, I put it aside and started something else. This story has been in my head for a couple of years, and I did something crazy and plotted it out at West Texas Writers’ Academy last summer. I’m now at the midway point of the story and I continue to be amazed at the sheer joy of writing new words, learning new characters and the thrill of seeing a few detours in my original plotboard but getting right back on track.
Last year was also a lesson of learning my limits. I’m not Super Woman. Heck, I’m not even super woman. I have the same 24 hours a day as everyone else (maybe less since I seem to need more sleep than the average human), and truthfully I’m not as efficient with that 24 hours as I could be. Room for growth right here, obviously.
Developing an author brand identity was big on my to-do list for 2015, and it kept getting pushed to the bottom of the list until I met the lovely ladies at Y&P PR, a boutique firm that specializes in author and artist branding. They save lives people. And I love the logo they’ve developed for me and how they are telling me “Sweetie, scoot over, you’re Tweeting all over the place, let us drive.” Stay tuned … Cheryl and Jo are going to help me adult.
Ooooh … Shiny!
I guess this means we’ve come to the point in this blog when I begrudgingly make resolutions. For years, I’ve been against them. Why wait until a magical date on a calendar to change something – why not do it now?
But, well, we’ve seen how much good that’s done me … And I’ve limited it to three. People remember three things so much better than seven, or 22. OK, deep breath, don’t look down (you can look down).
Finish my current WIP. I’m at the halfway point, you say. How hard can that be to write the other half? Probably not since I know everything, but my butt and the seat need to shift poles and become magnetic for a change.
Write every day. I’ve long been a weekend writer. Working full time – especially in a field that requires me to use words – makes it hard to come home and write. So, maybe I’ll get in the habit of bringing my laptop to work and during lunch, spend 45 minutes banging out a few words (sorry, coworkers!). Will I always be able to do that? Nope. But it’s kinda like when I put my workout clothes on my bathroom counter the night before. If I have to keep staring at them, I’ll start to feel guilty.
Lock up the inner critic. I’ve done a pretty decent job of this with my current story. I have to constantly remind myself that I’m writing a first draft, not the final version. That adding any words – even if they end up getting deleted later – is good. You cannot edit a blank page.
Bonus Round: I’m pretty sure I would get death threats if I didn’t put this out there. I hope in 2016 to finally be able to publish Pardon Falls. There. I said it. Truthfully, I can feel Amanda pouting that she’s in time out, so maybe when the first draft of my current project is done, I can come back and magically fix everything.
There you have it folks. Three, well four, little resolutions. It’s not like I’m giving up caffeine, running a marathon or anything crazy like that. These are resolutions to help me climb out of the hole I seemed to have fallen in. Sure, I may need a boost or a hand, but maybe clamoring my way out will be just what I need to feel like Super Woman.
Cheers!
