Our 2015 Writing Resolutions

Sarah’s Resolutions

It's 2015!! This last year flew by and so much with it. Heather and I finished our first book, which saw several hair-pulling re-writes, and sent it out on submission. It feels amazing to have accomplished all of that and now, looking ahead, I feel ready to commit to some even loftier goals for this year. 

1. Start running again. Sorry, wrong list... no wait, it belongs here too. With working nights and keeping up with crazy kid schedules, I want to be in the best place I can be physically and mentally! Plus a 30 minute run is prime, uninterrupted plotting time. 

2. All of last year was focused on one project and now that that project is resting comfortably on a shelf for a little while, its time to start something new. Unfortunately the ideas are spewing out. Shouldn't be a bad thing, except I imagine it’s difficult to write 5 books at once. So my goal is to sit down, sort through them and focus on the most well rounded one and go for it. Focusing solely on that project until its done. I would like to see it finished and put through a couple rounds of critiques/re-writes before this year is out.

3. I have not read a single writing craft book (yes, even after Monica's excellent recommendations.) So my goal is to pick at least 2 for this year and spend some in depth time learning from other much more talented experts!

4. Heather and I went to our first Writer's conference last year and it was incredible! I hope to attend one or two more this year and be involved with some of the amazing writing communities that are out there. 

5. We launched this blog last year and it was a huge deal for us. I want to keep it up and keep our momentum going! 

Monica’s Resolutions

A beautiful new year, a fresh start, and all that, and time for making Writing Resolutions! My alter-ego posted her very daunting list last week, and I learned from her mistakes. She plans to do A, B, C, D, and E (so many writing projects she plans to finish!) and all of these depend on F happening. If everything hinges on F, why not just focus on F. So I plan to focus on F. Which is all of the stuff that supports my writing and makes my life good. This includes:

·      Improving my time management. I’ve gotten very sloppy with how I use my time, and as a result my writing output is really suffering. I need to prioritize writing time, and stop treating it like a pleasant hobby I fit in whenever/wherever I can. Of course I also need to find time for everything else in my life. Sigh…

·      Exercising daily. I was doing very well with this up until November when life got crazy for a couple of months. I need to make sure it happens EVERY day from now on. Everything in my life—including my writing—is better when I exercise regularly.

·      Finding time for my friends and family. Writing is very isolating, and to keep my mental state healthy I need regular time with the people I care about. Nothing in the world is as good as laughing until the tears are running down your face.

·      Reading. This is my gimme—there is no way I won’t fulfill this resolution. As a YA author I need to read a lot of YA, but lately I’ve been forgetting to throw in the occasional ‘adult’ book—so I can try to work on that.

I’m looking forward to a wonderful 2015, and hope yours is too! Happy New Year!!

Heather’s Resolutions

Ugh. Here’s the problem: I have basically “resolved” the same things for the past two years when it comes to my writing and honestly, haven’t stuck to any of them. So, this year I thought I would do things a bit different. This year is going to be the year that I stick to ALL of my resolutions.

What makes this year different? You ask. I have assigned myself what I am lovingly calling “my task master” (aka my husband) to “gently” nag me about my resolution progress. Hopefully this works.

Now, on to the fun part: the actual resolutions.

1.     I resolve to read more books. (I can always find inspiration in other people’s writing)

2.     I resolve to not make excuses! (No more I work full-time…I have kids…blah blah. I’m not the only person/writer with those things!)

3.     I resolve to track my word count. (I know I know content, story, and characters but sometimes realizing that I have a great idea really only translates into more blank pages. So, for me the numbers matter.)

4.     I resolve to be a better listener to my characters (and critique partners). Sometimes I tend to try to direct my characters instead of letting them lead me.

So, that’s it. Here’s hopin’ I can stick to this small list. What are your resolutions?