The phrase ‘new year’s resolution’ has a mixed reaction among people ranging from excitement and enthusiasm, to fear and tension. The first group of people relish the opportunity to start afresh, with new plans and renewed hope, knowing that they may not achieve everything on their list, but happy that at least half of their goals will be completed and that they might learn something new along the way. The second group tend to feel the pressure of expectation as if the list itself will follow them around for the whole year waiting for them to fail so it can gloat and utter those dreaded words ‘I told you so’.
Until two years ago, I probably fell into the fearful group more than the hopeful one. Then after entering the world of writing with its multitude of twists and turns, I slowly learnt to appreciate the milestones I had reached and to let the remaining items fly off and find a home on someone else’s to-do list. Now I’m firmly in the enthusiastic group, looking forward to 2018 and eager to see what new words will arrive on my pages.
Before making goals for the year ahead, I find it’s really valuable to review the year gone by. If asked to assess the past twelve months from a writing point of view, my instinct would be something akin to ‘good’, followed by ‘pretty good’ and then ‘I’m looking forward to next year and doing better’. However, upon careful examination, it turns out I achieved loads this year, especially considering I have a full-time job as well.
The highlight for me was in April when I completed and self-published my first book, a fifteen thousand word novella called Hard Choices, featuring Rogue, an ex MI5 agent. Also on my achievements list are :
- Completing a six-week creative writing course in March
- Starting my blog in April 2017 and writing a post every month since (wow!)
- Meeting my writing buddy every 3 or 4 weeks from August onwards, great for motivation (thanks, Dennis)
- Writing 50,435 words during NaNoWriMo in November
- Having fun with other writers on Twitter
- Learning lots by listening to podcasts, especially The Creative Penn
- Writing several short bits’n’pieces which may turn into something in the future
- Reading at least one fictional book per month, which always gives me ideas
The huge benefit of compiling a list of achievements is that it proves we can do stuff, we can hit targets, reach goals, start lots of projects, finish some of them and have fun along the way. Knowing this is huge, as it removes the fear of compiling a list for the year ahead. It allows us to put anything and everything on that list, including items we may have no idea how we are going to tackle. It gives our creative mind the freedom to imagine and enthuse and get excited about 2018, a whole year of days and hours in which we can get creative and share our uniqueness with the world.
So what’s on my 2018 list? Initially, there was way too much. I took a pen and notebook to my local cafe, bought a lovely cappuccino and sat down, expecting to produce a neat list of about seven items. After I’d filled the page with ideas of all sorts, I decided it was the first draft and gave myself permission to have fun and continue writing whatever came into my head. Three A5 pages later, I ordered a second coffee and began the review process. I was able to merge some items and move others to a ‘best practice’ list, as they weren’t really goals. My final list looked something like this:
- Complete & publish the 2nd book in the Rogue series by 31st May (1st draft is currently two-thirds done)
- Begin planning the 3rd Rogue book on 1st September and start writing 1st Nov in NaNoWriMo
- Write two short stories (June & October)
- Use 7 Day Challenges to push through difficult projects or parts of projects
- Use affirmations to help me enjoy my writing sessions and to spur me on
- Record at least two achievements per week as a reminder of my progress and as a motivation tool
- Create a Vision Board with my goals, affirmations & achievements (January)
- Start writing my blog posts a week before the due date
- Be more focused with the time I spend on social media
- Start an email list for my readers (January)
- Read one fictional book per month in different genres
- Read Joanna Penn’s book, The Healthy Writer, in January and make self-care a priority for myself in 2018
Wow, it’s still a long list, but one which I think covers the key areas and which I believe is achievable. It feels good having a vision for the year ahead, and I can’t wait to get started.
I hope you have a great 2018 and find lots of time to read and write. Above all, have fun.
Happy New Year,
Harry.
Useful Links
The Healthy Writer by Joanna Penn & Dr. Euan Lawson
NaNoWriMo Website
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