Hello, 2020! Seven New Year’s Resolutions for Writers
There’s nothing quite like the New Year to set our writing goals. Better yet, find a writer friend (in person or online) to exchange goals with. Here are a few things to get you started. You can bet I’ll be working on these goals myself.
#1 Make writing a habit. As Dorothy Parker aptly said, “Writing is the art of applying the ass to the seat.” This year, sit down and write on a regular basis. Perhaps it’s one hour a day or two hours a week. The frequency will depend on your personality and schedule. What matters is that you maintain a regular writing schedule.
#2 Improve your skills. Writing is a never-ending learning process. Read books on writing or attend workshops or educational events in person or online. If you’re trying to get published traditionally, learn something new about the publishing industry. I would recommend the following conferences, which I’ve attended in the past: San Francisco Writers Conference, Writer’s Digest Annual Conference and New York Pitch Conference.
#3 Create short-term and long-term goals. If you’re serious about writing, you can’t be a writer only at certain times. Make writing a way of life. Just as you save money for emergency use, while also saving for your retirement, you need both short-term and long-term goals as a writer. Choose a realistic goal for this year, such as finishing your work in progress (WIP) or attending a writing conference (see above). For many writers, successful publication and making a living writing full-time are their long-term goals. I’m one of those writers.
#4 Find the right writing critique partner or group. Writers need honest and constructive feedback. Join a group or create one or pick even just one writing critique partner. When you attend a writing class or conference (see #2), try to find like-minded writers you could swap chapters with.
If you have the budget for it, you could also hire a developmental editor. Self-published authors absolutely need one. Even traditionally published authors need to submit their best work to their literary agents or publishers and a professional editor could make the publishing process faster and smoother by helping you submit your best work.
#5 Make your work shine before submitting. Write, revise, and fulfill #1 through #4 until your work shines. Many writers rush to submit; writing for a month during NaNoWriMo doesn’t mean you’re ready to submit. Traditional publishing is so competitive. If a publisher reads your work and rejects it, that’s all the chance you’ll get at least for that manuscript. If you’re lucky the publisher will ask you to revise and resubmit (it happened to me), but it’s better to submit only your best work.
#6 Make peace with rejections. Bret Lott, the best-selling author of “Jewel,” says rejections are inevitable. “I truly believe that dealing with rejection—indeed, embracing it—will be the make-or-break factor in one’s life as a published writer,” he wrote in “Before We Get Started: A Practical Memoir of the Writer’s Life.” However, making peace with rejection is predicated fully on the presumption that you are writing the best work you can (see #5) possibly write.
#7 Read more books. Reading widely is the first requirement to writing well. Great books will show you the kind of writing that works and poorly written books will show you what to avoid. Reading is still the best writing teacher, so when you’re not writing, be sure to read.
In Anne Lamott’s writing memoir, “Bird by Bird,” she said, “Writing can be a pretty desperate endeavor, because it is about some of our deepest needs.” She’s right, but this year, don’t despair. If your writing goals are difficult to attain, try breaking them down to smaller parts.
Resolve to write your best. Good luck!
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