With the new year only days away, it is time for us to consider resolutions. Though my sense of humor is well intact, I'm not one of those who finds breaking one's resolutions humorous.
For around a decade, I've given myself a limit of three resolutions as a way of better insuring I can keep my word. I begin one thing, end one and improve one. This system has not let me down. It is efficient and manageable.
This year I thought I'd go one step further, considering I have not been a perfect writer in 2009. This year, in addition to the "real" resolutions, I'll also include some sub-resolutions that are specific to writing.
What to begin
One day -- Wednesdays, I think -- will be submission days. I probably submitted 12 times in 2009. No excuses, that was not enough. The winner of this year's San Antonio Writers Guild Judy Award, Sanford Allen, had over 60 rejections in 2009. Rejections. Not total submissions. Only rejections. And, needless to say, he got his fair share of acceptances. As the founder of the Judy Award says at each of our once-a-month meetings, "You can't get published if you don't submit." Thus the cash prize she offers.
What to end
This one was a bit harder because everything I wanted to end really sounded like another "begin." So what did I do in 2009 (and before) that I needed to stop doing? Again, I'll make another reference to Sanford Allen who, in 2008, shared a list of practices he found in some publication or other that gave suggestions for how to keep distractions out of one's writing space. Near the top, if not the top itself, on the list was -- and I paraphrase -- "Turn off your browser BEFORE you write." Man is that me in a nutshell. For whatever reason, before I write, I have the nasty habit of checking my trash email -- my Yahoo! account -- for anything of interest. Sometimes doing so can take me a minute and sometimes it can erase a whole writing session. Somewhere deep in my psyche, the fear of failure/success/work/whatever is allowing this distraction in. In 2010, I am allowing it out.
What to change
This may not be totally fair but, in all honesty, I haven't given this idea all the room to breath it needs in order to be fairly judged successful or not. Detailed outlining for anything I write over 1k words. In 2009, I was so impressed with the outlining process, I am wanting to implement it with more seriousness going forward. Though it may end up not working out, or only working out for a time, I have found enough beneficial in creating detailed plot outlines that upping the practice, in my opinion, counts as a change.
So, my suggestion to you is this: in the last days of 2009, take careful inventory of your own writing habits and isolate those three things that will improve you as a writer. Decide, commit and reap the benefits.
Have a great holiday season.
