1. I will finish 2 books this year. I accomplished this in 2011, which was great, but now that this is practically my job, it's extremely important. It's all about quality AND quantity when it comes to being an author. Or that's my belief, at least. Maybe one day I'll be able to release 1 book every 3 years and people will still gobble it up, but until then, it's going to be work, work, work. Now, in order to accomplish this, it will take that discipline I was talking about. Some of that good 'ol B.I.C.H.O.K (butt in chair, hands on keys). I'm not going to tell myself that one will be good enough because that'll turn into an excuse, a reason for me to watch Once Upon a Time instead of getting my word count for the day.
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| My Desktop wallpaper for the year. |
2. I will try very hard not to think every word I put on the page is crap. Here's a tough one. There are those days when I actually like what I've written. Those days are wonderful and fulfilling, but sometimes I feel like I have more days full of doubt. We've all felt it. That stupid feeling of, "What am I doing? This is horrible. No one will want to read this. I suck. What am I dooooooing?" But this year, I want to take that feeling and lock it away... At least until the first round of revisions. Because, like they always say, you can't edit words you haven't written yet. So, this year, when I feel a bout of the "I sucks" coming on, I'm just going to get up, take a dance break, and get back to it.
Those are the two biggies. And they both have to do with being focused and disciplined. Which is tough for writers, at least for this writer. There are so many distractions out there that sometimes I feel like the world is conspiring against me. But it's not the world, it's me. I'm the one who puts things off and lets the doubt fill my head. And that behavior needs to take a hike. Because with writing, you're pretty much your own boss. Sure, you might have a deadline and an agent or editor that you need to check in with and show progress to sometimes, but there's no one checking to see if you're at your computer everyday. There's no heinous boss saying, "Ummm, yeeeeah, I need that chapter on my desk by Friday."
I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's up to us, people. We are the only ones who can write whatever it is we write. I realize that's kind of a "DUH!" statement, but sometimes I need to really let that sink in.
Now, let's get this year rolling! *HIGH FIVE*
What are your writing resolutions? Leave them in the comments because you know if you publicly say them you have to stick to them... Right?
I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's up to us, people. We are the only ones who can write whatever it is we write. I realize that's kind of a "DUH!" statement, but sometimes I need to really let that sink in.
Now, let's get this year rolling! *HIGH FIVE*
What are your writing resolutions? Leave them in the comments because you know if you publicly say them you have to stick to them... Right?
My goals, which I posted on my blog for accountability, are to query my mss, write two good short stories, and finish another novel by next January.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'll emulate you and try for two next year. Damn, that's ambitious. Good luck!