REALISTIC WRITER RESOLUTIONS FOR 2023

 by Judy Ann Davis

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

MAKE TIME FOR YOUR WRITING ~ This tops the list for almost all writers. We resolve to make more time for writing every year, but it’s so easy for life to distract us. We rationalize we have other tasks and chores to do for our kids, our husband, friends, or family. If we wrote only 500 words at day, we would have 15,000 words in a month. One thousand words would net us 30,000, quite an admirable word goal. Don’t feel like writing? Research, writing exercises, outlining, reading for information, and editing also count as part of the writing process since these activities propel us forward.

READ, READ, READ ~ Not only do we need to read in our genre to stay on top of the latest trends and to study other writers’ styles, structure, plotting, voice and pacing, but also we need to read outside our comfort zone. We need to delve into a memoir, a nonfiction book, editorials, the newspaper, and anything we don’t normally read. This will give us a new perspective when we sit down to write again.

GET ORGANIZED ~ Organize your writing space. File that pile of papers you were going to take care of. Clean out your emails. Clean up your hard drive. Back up your data. Review and update your blog, website, Facebook page and Twitter account. Set a timetable for writing a certain project and determine how you’re planning to track your progress.

SET REALISTIC GOALS ~ Stop beating yourself up when you don’t accomplish what you planned. Stop comparing yourself to other writers. Set realistic goals. Maybe you will only accomplish one novel per year. However, you might want to try writing a seasonal short story, or an opinion or a blog piece as well.

EXERCISE ~ Good health is important. Get plenty of rest and find some activity where you can get exercise: swimming, walking, golfing, tennis, zumba, dancing or any other activity that takes you away from the keyboard and gets you moving.

                 Have you made your New Year’s resolutions?
                 If so, share one of them in the comments below.

        

JUNE ~ The Pianist

(Book 1 of the Musical Christmas Series)
NOW ON SALE $0.99

 

Not a Photo Bomb.... I'm Talking about a Muse Bomb!

Focus! That work has meant a lot to me through the years. In photography, FOCUS helps you make a clear picture. In dance, FOCUS kept me upright and not sprawled on the ground after a bunch of turns. I would say 'in labor' ... but really FOCUS went out the window for me then.

But in Writing, FOCUS is something I'm struggling with. I love to write. When someone asks me "Where do you get your ideas?" I tell them everywhere, and I mean it.
Actually WRITING DOWN those ideas? Now that's a lot harder...

Especially when this happens...

I'll be coasting along, pounding out the words, feeling 'the groove,' enjoying every second of the creative process and then....

WHAM! Random muse alert!

In comes a muse, all hot under the collar, ready to tell HER story. It doesn't matter that I'm already working on one... she wants to talk to me NOW. In DETAIL and blather on and on about her idea.

Yes, my muses do not know how to 'wait their turn.'

And for years that meant veering off and spending days working on a different project, getting it all down on paper. What I'm trying to do now is to take a break, spend no more than an hour, 'getting down the bones' maybe a few chunks of dialogue if I feel the character will use it later. (Usually a funny bit and a more intense 'deep' bit) and then I go get a glass of ice tea and get back to the original project.

It's only tooooo tempting to jump to the 'new' project, but that will get me nowhere FAST.

And it's just not what I want to do anymore.

I know, I'm taking charge of my muses... slowly... it doesn't ALWAYS work... sometimes the next project or other project gets the afternoon... maybe even the next day.  But, I'm not allowing that to happen all the time and as I work on it, their 'Muse Bomb's are distracting me less.

Don't get me wrong, I don't want them to 'stop' interrupting, I enjoy the creative process and all the strange happenings, but I know that if I want to finish a book and get it 'out there.' I have to FOCUS so I can finish.

Do you have those sometimes irritating, but always welcome distractions in your life?

Reina's Website - Reina's AMAZON Page - Reina's Facebook Author Page

DISTRACTIONS AND DISASTERS

Yes, I've heard of writers sternly telling their children not to disturb them unless someone is bleeding profusely or something is on fire. Try telling a dog that. When it's time to eat, there is no putting them off.

Pictured is Nugget, the guest dog. That demented look of anticipation is a blatant lie. He's so full, his belly almost drags the floor. I need to work, not have those pop eyes staring at me.

Sigh. I'm such a sucker.

By Brenda Daniels

Every writer has them. Distractions and disasters that take away from your work in progress. While I don't have human children, I do have dogs. One is mine and the other is a guest until his mom scrapes up the pet deposit. My fellow writers complain about husbands, kids, neighbors and everyday minor disasters that pop up just when the GREAT INSPIRATION reveals itself.

Then, there are the other distractions. Every morning, I get up and stumble to my office. (Well, most mornings.) My computer may or may not decide to cooperate. I really need a new one. My witch and wizard story is half finished and needs a lot of work. (Thank you critique partners.)  WORD is also problematic lately. How can it "Not Respond?"

After finally pulling up my pages, I see the vacuum cleaner out of the corner of my eye. Oh yeah, I should take care of that little pile of bugs and cobwebs lurking behind the recliner. (DISTRACTION!)

Back to my pages. My characters are not talking to me. I'm being ignored, except for the message I hear on the answering machine (yes, I still have a land line) extolling the virtues of their burglar alarms system. Thank you, but I have two noisy alarms who bark at a falling leaf.

Sure, these are all flimsy excuses. I admit it. My critique partners are so disciplined they put me to shame. I resolve to do better. Right after I peel the frantic dog off my knee.