Are
you planning to celebrate Quitter’s Day? The second Friday in January,
Quitter’s Day, marks the day most people abandon their New Year’s resolutions,
at least according to the fitness tracking app Strava.
Different sources cite different numbers about what percentage of people (64%? 80%? 92%?) abandon their resolutions, and how quickly they do so (January? Valentine’s Day?). They are consistent, though, in their contention that most resolutions are doomed to failure.
That
reframing could be helpful in achieving the most popular resolutions for 2025,
which include saving more money, living more healthfully, and losing weight.
Writers
share their own subset of resolutions. Perhaps the most common is to write
more. That might mean committing to a daily word count, finally starting that
novel, or finally finishing it.
There
are resolutions about getting that writing out into the world and in front of
readers. People vow to submit a certain number of stories, or enter more
contests, or start seeking an agent.
If
the writing is published, there are promises to do more marketing, build that
author website, and pursue blogging and podcasting opportunities.
Writers
may decide this is the year they will join a writing organization, attend a new
writing conference, or venture out to their first one.
A
new year might mean taking a stab at a new genre, or a fresh look at an old
project. It could be time to step away from a series and create a world for new
characters.
Call
them what you will--resolutions, intentions, dreams, or aspirations--what we write
on the blank slate of a new year is up to us. And even if that slate is wiped
clean on Quitter’s Day, it’s never a bad thing to make a good start.
Do
you make New Year’s resolutions? What are your intentions for 2025, writing or
otherwise?
I have found SMART goals work for me. WWK has had blogs on them, so I won't repeat the information here.
ReplyDeleteWell aware of how life gets in the way (emergency surgery at 2 am on a Sunday morning? Fire in an apartment in my building that not only disrupts normal lives but calls for support of displaced neighbors? All in the last month.) I don't make specific goals, just re-enforce my general intentions.
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ReplyDeleteMy intention is to do a good job promoting my new short story collection, With Our Bellies Full and the Fire Dying that releases in February as I didn't do the normal 4 month build up for it, but to balance life (as KM noted, things that are called life get in the way).
ReplyDeleteGreat blog, Mary! My main intention is health-related. I just found out I'm pre diabetic - not a huge issue now, but a wake-up call for sure. So I want to eat healthier and exercise more (don't we all?). Writing wise, my intention is to write at least five times a week...doable?
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of intentions much better than resolutions. Thanks, Mary!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kathleen, I like "intentions" better than resolutions. I also have fluid weekly goals that continue into the weekend unless I finish everything by Friday afternoon.
ReplyDeleteI much prefer to set intentions rather than resolutions. Resolution has such a finite sound to it. This year I intend to write more and seek out an agent or small press publication. We’ll see! You know what they say about the road to hell…
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