Writing Resolutions

It's time to create some writing resolutions for yourself as we approach New Year's Eve. It seems a little silly to come up with ideas for the following year as we guzzle champagne, so I figured I'd come up with a few possibilities for you before you crack open the bubbly.

5. Start that Book

You know the book I'm talking about. The book that you've been telling people about for ages but that you've never put one word down on paper for. This is the book that you've known for years was going to be your shot at being a legitimate author, but you've avoided it like the plague. You've told yourself, "What if nobody buys it?" or "What if it doesn't turn out as good as I've hoped?" Look. You won't know how successful or good it can be until you at least start it. One of your writing resolutions should be to write something, anything, that contributes to this book.

4. Keep a Journal or Blog

Three years ago, I started this blog in an effort to get myself excited about writing again. It was my writing resolution to keep it going and to push myself to contribute to the blog as much as I possibly could. Here I am in the present, having just written my 115th consecutive daily blog post and I couldn't feel more proud of myself. Keeping up your writing efforts every day through a journal or blog will help you to become a better writer no matter what format you write in.

3. Try a New Writing Format

With that last sentence in mind, it's never a bad idea to branch out a little bit. Read about a writing format you've never tried like a screenplay or a poem. Try your hand at it and you may find that it's a format you have a bit of aptitude at. Even if you don't like how it turns out, you're bound to learn more about writing if you put some effort into these new ideas. Perhaps, it'll even give you an idea in your preferred format. Definitely worth a shot.

2. Self-Publish an Old File

If you're like me, you have a bunch of old files on your computer of stories and plays you've finished that have never seen the light of day past a classroom or your hard drive. If you want to be a published author someday and you've never self-published anything, these files are perfect for making sure you can figure out the ins and outs of the industry. Maybe nobody will buy these stories you've penned, but regardless of how many sales you make, you'll feel a lot more confident as a writer when you see your name up there in the digital lights as an author on Amazon and iTunes.

1. Finish that Book

That book I mentioned as the first of the writing resolutions? Yeah, finish that. That way next year, you can make it a resolution to create the sequel. 

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