Like most of you, I'm thinking seriously about the New Year and what I want to accomplish. My goals are ambitious, but that's the point, right?
-Get the two books I wrote in 2013 query ready,
-Query one or both of them,
-Land an agent, and
-Write two more books.
Okay, looking at this, I kind of want to pee my pants a bit. But I also really, really want to do it all.
Who doesn't?
To prepare for my über, ridiculously successful 2014 that I'm totally going to accomplish (totally), I've been reading the routines of famous writers. Their routines were interesting, as were some of the superstitions (seriously, Jack Kerouac, the moon was not out to get you), but none of them told me anything new. The consensus won't blow your mind.
Writers write.
Whether it's "snap-writing," where you fit writing into the tiny chunks of time you find yourself with throughout the day--five minutes here, eleven minutes there--or hiring a babysitter once a week, or carving out a chunk of time before the kids are up or after everyone is asleep. Writers write.
One quote from E. B. White has become my theme for the new year:
Testify, brother.
In addition, I came across a blog post by Shannon Hale who said the following about writing and being a stay-at-home mom (she has four children under the age of nine, including twins!):
I know what I need to do. I know what all of us who call ourselves Mommy Writers (Mormon or otherwise) need to do. Not because it's a hobby or something we do to pass the time when we're out of bonbons and have finished reading the latest issue of Harper's Bazaar. But because we love it. Because we can't stand the suspense, wondering what the characters in our minds will do and how the stories racing around our brains will end. Because we'd rather have dusty blinds and a pile of laundry up to our ears than not do what our soul yearns for."If you'd be just as happy knitting and mothering or scrapbooking and mothering as writing and mothering, then by all means, do those instead.But if you can't, then you know who you are and what you need to do."
Put words to paper.
Write.
Good luck to all of you in the New Year!
Wow, Katy. Go you! My resolutions are quite a bit smaller, but I think the best one really is to just write. Write write write. You are awesome and you can do it!
ReplyDeleteHooray for a new year and new writing goals! Or, for most of us, the same writing goals. ;-)
ReplyDeleteHaha! You're right--these aren't too different than my goals were last year, except I shelved the other book I was querying and am starting fresh with these two! Good luck to you, too, Kasey!
ReplyDeleteYou, too, Jeanna! I have a feeling 2014 is going to be a great one for you!! ;)
ReplyDeleteLove your list of random acts of service! We're starting a random acts of service project on our Facebook page & our blog too for 2014! If you are interested in being one of our guest bloggers; email me! Hope you don't mind if we use some of these great ideas on our page! Thanks so much for sharing these!
ReplyDeleteEB White's comment is so true! Such a good reminder! Writing happens in the middle of life, mess and all. I've had a slump the past two weeks, been sick, the holidays....I have to get back to the computer!!
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