Will this be the year you write your book? The year to write your memoir? Write your family history? Publish your manuscript? Save the stories of your  loved one? Many try, but few complete. If you’re wanting to complete your project, let’s look at two practical New Year’s Resolutions: 1.) I will write every day; and 2.) I will share my writing.

Write every day, even if it’s just a few minutes. It will feel more natural and you will come to enjoy and look forward to that time. If you are experiencing writer’s block, just change the subject or format and have some fun. You will be refreshed and a better writer when you return to your project.

Share your writing. That can mean submit an article to an online “zine” today; attach a poem in an email to a friend, read to your writing group, comment or compose a blog, or work on getting that publishing deal. There are many ways to share. Communicate your thoughts. Isn’t that why you are writing?

Here are some more great resolutions for writers, expressed in the affirmative:

• I will end an old project: revise, finish, or shred it, making room for a new one.
• I will learn by observing and practicing a new technique.
• I will seek constructive criticism and listen.
• I will try writing in some new styles, experimenting in order to further develop my own style.
• I will publish the writing that readers want to read.
• I will organize my writing area so that it attracts me and offers easy access to tools.
• I will decorate my writing area with visual reminders of success.
• I will happily tell others about my writing and listen to their experiences.
• I will mentor and encourage others.
• I will be ready for a mentor to find, teach, and encourage me.

 

And all I have to do on a new book is finish it. 

—Tommy Womack, FaceBook Blog “What It is”  February 16, 2015