9 Writer’s Resolutions for 2014

I’ve been writing my entire life,
and I’ll always write.
—J. K. Rowling

In my past post, I took a look back at my Writers Resolutions for 2013 and took a hard look at how I did. Not too shabby, but I’d made too many resolutions, many of which I couldn’t measure.

Would I do it again if I could go back in time? Of course. I learned a lot and achieved a lot that I may not have otherwise.

Still, now that I’ve been there and done that, I’m taking a new approach for this next year. So, without further ado, here are my
9 Writer’s Resolutions for 2014.

When I’m tempted to whine and complain that I don’t have enough time, I will shut up and write.

When I’m tempted to check my Twitter feed and Facebook wall, I will close my browser and write.

When I’m tempted to do chores instead of parking my butt in my chair, I will do them for 30 minutes and then I’ll sit down and write.

When I’m frustrated because I can’t think of any good ideas, I will think of bad ideas and write.

When I don’t think anyone will want to read what I write, I will ignore that critical voice and write.

When I’m sad, I will write.

When I’m happy, I will write.

When I’m tired or sick, I will take care of myself and then write.

When I’m tempted to make a list of resolutions to help me make the writing happen, I will remember that the only real way to make it happen is to shut up and write.

And when I find myself meeting any of the above conditions, my minimum writing length is 500 words. Just to make sure I make it count.

My professional goals and financial goals are separate lists. If my career has taught me anything — and it’s taught me plenty — it’s that I can only plan so much. There will always be curve balls.

I have my To Do list and I’m already working on it. Those don’t need to be resolutions; they need to be habits. Same goes for improving my overall writing skills. It should all be an ever-growing habit; and it will be.

But shutting up and writing is something we writers struggle with on a constant basis. Copywriters, literary writers, bloggers, hobbyists — we’re always looking elsewhere for that magic bullet that propels us to the greater heights of creative and professional brilliance. We want that magic key to open up the door to eternal happiness and prosperity.

But as we work to further our careers, we forget that sometimes, we just need to shut up and write.

Brian Clark, founder of Copyblogger, laid it out perfectly with his 10 Steps to Becoming a Better Writer. “Write. Write more. Write even more.”

And in his book On Writing, Stephen King said, “Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.”

They’re right. Which makes my resolution for 2014 to talk less and write more.

Who’s with me?