OMG! Is 2017 Actually Coming To An End? You Didn't Meet Your Writing Goals Did You?

It seems like yesterday was January 1st, 2017. 

Now January 1st, 2018 is upon us. OMG!

I can say this much about 2017... I failed miserably with my writing goals. Maybe... God forbid... you're like me... I spent day after day saying, "Tomorrow... I'll have time tomorrow..."

Ha! tomorrow is here. I wrote some notes... filled a few pages in a spiral notebook. But, didn't finish that novel.

Also... If you are an aspiring writer... you MUST READ! If you write poetry... Read poetry. If you write short stories... Read short stories, etc.

I read some. I wrote some... But, I did neither in the volume I should have as an aspiring writer. Let's not sugar coat it or go all snowflake and blame someone else for my poor decisions. 

I blew it. I didn't work on my craft enough to actually call it a craft. A truism: you can't call yourself a writer if you don't actually WRITE!

I know... tough love. But, I'm a father of five. I'm a tough love kind of guy because I know it pays dividends. 

Moving forward, what does that mean??? First of all, after correcting one of my children, doling out whatever punishments were necessary, then it'd be time for restoring harmony. 

What does that mean? You can rebuke yourself for falling short. Fine. Then... a restorative measure is necessary. Restore the creative process. Otherwise how can you move forward?

Forgive yourself for blowing it. Then... GET OVER IT. Get back to writing.

Set new resolutions. Maybe this time scale them back a bit and make them more realistic... or shoot for the moon, but, bring in a friend to keep you accountable.

Bottom line: Get back on the horse. Write. Start with one word. Then two; then 20; then 100... Keep going.

2017 may be at an end. You may not have accomplished what you wanted. .. But, 2018 is around the corner. Now's your time. Make it happen this year.

You can do it.

First New Year's Resolution For Writing

Writing something every day whether I'm in the mood seems like the obvious choice, but that is not my #1 New Year's resolution. Putting my butt in a chair and writing for at least 10 minutes - regardless of how complicated life is -  is something I already know is essential. See any of my NaNoWriMo blog posts for that.

No, I figured I would look at something I am not doing enough. Pick at least one thing. I had a lot to choose from, but I figured I would kick it off with one thing or else I'd get overwhelmed by "all" the things I need to change or improve on. Pick one, get the ball rolling. Feel victory in one small area, then surge forward in another area.

So, first for me: My first New year's resolution to improve my writing is to read more. Simple, but effective. As I look back on 2011, I realized I did not read as much as I should have. I read maybe 9 books between January and March. Then I slowed down the rest of the year. My goal for 2012 is to read at least 50 books.

Reading for a writer is so crucial. You learn how other writers are playing with words. If you're writing genre fiction, it's good to read examples of that genre to understand its conventions. Reading books on the writing craft can help you, too. And I love reading from other genres, as well.

Set your own reading goal for 2012. A good place to do it as at Goodreads.com. Great community of readers and writers sharing about the books they love. You can see my book list on Pedro Ramirez's Goodreads profile page. Let me know if you have a good book suggestion.

One Thing You Can Do in 2012 To Be A Better Writer

As I wrote in my last blog, I'm thinking of New Year's resolutions for writers. A Top Ten List for me, at least, if not for other writers. But a list for me will more than likely speak to other writers since we all share some of the same bad habits.

With that in mind, one of my proposed resolutions for writers is this: Read more books.

I still remember my creative writing professor in college offering up that bit of advice. Recently, I challenged the students in my creative writing group to do the same. Still, I believe for some of us reading is a challenge. We don't read enough. In the last two weeks I've read two books, started a third and halfway through it couldn't force myself to finish it, and now am on to a fourth book. 

In a Writer's Digest article from July, THE 7 DEADLY SINS OF WRITING, not reading books was listed as number six. In the article M.J. Rose, author of The Hypnotist is credited with offering this bit of advice:

Reading is essential for writers. Rose cited a study that said that 23 percent of people in the United States want to be writers. If all of them read 10 books a year, Rose said, “We’d all be doing a lot better.”

So, how much do you read? Would reading more books be a good New Year's resolution for you?

10 Best New Year's Resolutions For Writers

Less than two weeks until the end of the year. Goodbye 2011. Hola and que tal to 2012. It got me to thinking about what resolutions I might make as a writer. It's always a good thing to push yourself. So, what are the best resolutions for writers? For some it could be to start a daily writing routine. It could be to actually submit your work instead of writing solely for yourself.

The possibilities could be endless. I haven't decided what all my resolutions should be, but I'm thinking about it now and hope to write out a list of 10, my Top Ten, if you will. Two brains are better than one, and a thousand are better than two, so I'm asking what resolutions you can think of, as well, to help the aspiring writer.