Writer's Resolutions

Happy 2014!  It is a new year full of possibilities.  I don't usually make resolutions because I don't know about you, but I rarely keep them.  Working out every morning at 5 a.m. sounds good on January 1st, but not so good by February 7th.  But writer's resolutions are different.  Those I can keep.  I have made a list of resolutions for my writing this year--and I am sharing them with you in the hope that you might like to adopt one or two for your own writing this year.

1.  Write more - just write.

2.  Judge less - don't be your own harshest critic.  Give your work time to grow.

3.  Compare less - don't think about what someone else is doing or has already done.  Stay focused.

4.  Write for the love of writing - take publication, book sales, reviews off the table.  Write because you love it.

5.  Embark on new journeys - challenge yourself with new genres or characters that scare you.  After all, writing is really a journey of discovery, is it not?

6.  Find a writing friend - to discuss, critique, encourage.  A positive writing friend is your secret to success.

7.  Eliminate negatives - what is holding you back?  Doubters in your life?  Yourself?  Purge your life of negatives and focus on the possibilities.

8.  Curtail computer time - spend less time on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.  Every moment is a time waster and your book is waiting.

9.  Take time to breathe - remember to have that cup of tea in silence.  Take a walk without music in your ears.  Breathe.  Give your imagination time and space to create.

10.  No excuses - be honest with yourself.  If something needs changing, change it.  Excuses get in the way of our progress and allow us to fail.  Don't give yourself permission to fail.

I wish you all happiness in your life and in your writing.  Now I am going to take my own advice and get back to my work-in-progress...

Happy Writing!
D.L.