Five New Years Resolutions for Writers

Here are a few ideas to help you make 2010 your best writing year ever…

Read More
The first step in becoming a good writer is exposing yourself to as much good writing as you can get your hands on. This means reading as much as you can. Make more time to read at home, but also think about other ways you can get more pages in. If you have a long commute, consider listening to audio books instead of music. Carry a paperback or an ebook reader with you for those long waits in the checkout line or the doctor’s office.

Also, don’t limit your reading to just the genres you want to write in. Challenge yourself by picking up something you’d normally pass by. If you write horror, read a romance novel. If historical fiction is your thing, try some sci-fi. Do your research first to find the quality work in whichever genre you choose. Make sure your reading is balanced between fiction and non-fiction, regardless of which side of those scales your own writing falls.

Stop Procrastinating
I have a book on procrastination that I’ve been putting off reading for over a year. That sounds like it ought to be a joke, but it’s actually true. Even getting around to writing this article took some doing. Procrastination is a very real problem for a lot of people, and often the biggest single factor that separates the writer from someone who “wants to write”.

The best way to put an end to procrastination is to stop it at the source. If you find yourself thinking “I really ought to write something,” stop then and there, find a pen and paper, and get to it (keeping safety in mind, of course. Don’t try to type if you’re driving or operating heavy machinery.) In fact, why not go write something right now. This article will still be here when you come back.

Eliminate Obstacles to Productivity
This resolution is really about getting rid of excuses. Too often the places where we write are the same places where we check our email, play games, or shop online. If your internet connection is keeping you from getting words on the page, then unplug it until you’re done. If a messy desk is too distracting, then clear it off. If it’s stopping you from getting work done, then it needs to go away (again, within reason. Don’t go neglecting the kids in favor of your new novel, but do look for ways to integrate your work with your family life and make the time you need to be productive.)

Set Goals and Stick to Them
While this may seem like the easiest resolution on the list, it can often be the hardest for the simple fact that it’s easy to become frustrated and give up. If the goals you start with are unrealistic, you might become discouraged. On the other hand, if you set your goals low and never adjust them, you’re not going to get anywhere.

Approach your writing goals the same way you would a new exercise routine. Start with a small goal that you know you can attain easily. If you work in terms of output, make it only a paragraph or two. If you’re more process-oriented, write for five minutes. Then gradually up your goal until the work becomes challenging: perhaps three pages or an hour of uninterrupted work. When you’re comfortable with that, up your goal a little more. Before long, you’ll be writing at the level that works best for you.

Submit Your Work
Too often, writers think that their work is over when they write the words “the end”. That’s fine if you’re only writing for yourself, but most writers write to have their work read. The only way to do that is to send your work out into the world, and if you’re going to do that, you have to be ready to accept rejection. Every writer gets rejected, and fear of rejection is just another form of procrastination. So, accept that there will be a few bumps and bruises along the way, and get to submitting!