Writing Resolutions - Why Bother? by Debra H. Goldstein

Writing Resolutions - Why Bother? - by Debra H. Goldstein

For the past few weeks, we have been inundated with writers of articles and blogs, podcasters, TV interviewers, and even family members discussing New Year’s resolutions. One common theme is how many of the resolutions, like exercising to lose weight or writing 1,000 words a day, aren’t followed through upon. Many reasons are given for individual failures: “I got sick and couldn’t get to the gym,” “I got sick and couldn’t get out of bed long enough to write one word let alone 1,000,” or “I got carried away by the season and set an unrealistic goal for myself.”

The latter often is the case. But, I ask you, why set yourself up to be disappointed? Why bother using time and energy to make a resolution? Why not simply do the act, whether it is exercise or writing, to the best of your ability on any given day?

Some say that making the resolution provides accountability. After all, success reinforces good behavior. That’s wonderful, but what level of accountability does failure instill? Will the exerciser or writer crawl into a ball and opt not to do anything rather than strike out again?

Maybe I’m being cynical about resolutions? What do you think? Would you rather simply do what you can or adhere to a resolution (and will you stick to it)?

 

It’s a Plan by Kait Carson

Do you make resolutions? How does that work out for you? For years I would open my journal in December and think about all the areas of my life. Then I would make a resolution for every segment. You know the stuff. Go to the gym three times a week. Eat healthy. Write 2,000 words a day. Can you see where this is going? Yep. By January 15th, all that’s left of the resolutions are the memories.

It didn’t take too long to realize that resolutions were not my thing. I confess, I kept flogging that dead horse for a few more years and thinking I understood the futility of the act. There is something in the human psyche that demands an acknowledgement of new beginnings. The clean slate demands to be filled. The trick is filling it meaningfully. For me, that’s not a resolution. It’s a plan.

I keep two planners. The Quo Vadis Minister is one of my favorites. It’s a regular old desk calendar and yes, I record appointments, the daily weather, and what I’ve cooked for supper, but I really use it to keep track of how I spend my time. Entries include what I’m working on, how many words I’ve written and how long it took me. I also keep track of how much time I spend marketing, and the tchotchkes of daily life. The time spent reading/responding to emails, journaling, reading blogs, and the like. A nice, big column on the right side lets me write my aspirations and cross them off when I accomplish them. At the end of the week, I transfer those hours into a spreadsheet. If I find I’m tchotchke heavy, I know I need to revamp my days. It allows me to give myself grace for those accidents of life that take time but can’t be planned. I also look at the aspirations with a critical eye. If something appears on several consecutive weeks, I need to figure out why, and fix it if it’s important.

The Happy Planner is my second planner. It’s huge. Much bigger than anyone needs on their desk. It’s eleven by twelve inches. This is my true planner. I’m still in the process of figuring out my writing time so I can set realistic deadlines. This book allows me to plan a writing week. I’m gradually learning that plotting takes me ten days, writing a novel takes sixty, and editing takes another thirty—and that’s for the first draft. With the Happy Planner, I can map all of those events out in big blocks and decorate it with stickers and colored pens. It’s not the time-waster it sounds like, and it makes me happy. 

So what’s my plan for 2025? First to keep learning and refining my style. Second, to indie publish a new book in the Hayden Kent series. Third, to explore small presses for my new Maine series. 

Oh, and all those failed resolutions? Well, I recently read my old journals. Oddly enough, I accomplished many of them. Turns out they weren’t resolutions. They were goals.

What about you? How do you plan your time and production?

Kait Carson writes the Hayden Kent Mysteries set in the Fabulous Florida Keys and is at work on a new mystery set in her adopted state of Maine. Her short fiction has been nationally published in True Romance, True Confessions, True Story, True Experience, and Woman’s World magazines. Her short story, Gutted, Filleted, and Fried, appeared in the Falchion Finalist nominated Seventh Guppy Anthology Hook, Line, and Sinker. She is a former President of the Guppy Chapter of Sisters in Crime, a member of Sisters in Crime, Guppies, and of Sisters in Crime New England. Visit her website at www.kaitcarson.com. While you’re there, sign up for her newsletter and receive a yummy, authentic, key lime pie recipe. 

THE MODES OF A MYSTERY WRITER

 By Korina Moss

I can’t help myself – I’m one of those people who always makes at least one New Year’s resolution. Wishful thinking, perhaps? I prefer the term hopeful thinking. This year, one of my resolutions is to have more work-life balance. 

Now that my son is a college student, it’s just me at home, so the only schedule I have to adhere to is my own. Sounds divine, except it allows me to get into my modes. Yes, I meant to write modes, not moods (although they can be pesky too). I have work mode and relax mode and I have a hard time transitioning between the two. (This doesn’t include veg out mode, which happens pretty much every night.) When I’m working on a book, which has (thankfully) been continuous over the past three years, it’s mentally all-encompassing for me. I’m always thinking about it, even if I have to push it to the back of my mind. I’ve been mentally living in my series’ fictional town of Yarrow Glen with my protagonist Willa and her Curds & Whey cheese shop crew since the spring of 2020, and it’s not easy to pull myself out. 

This is especially true when I’m in crunch mode, as I was just a couple of months ago when my deadline for Fondue or Die, book 5 in my Cheese Shop Mystery series, was fast approaching. I’d been in a concentrated writing mode for the four months prior, trying to turn my sketchy outline and underwritten first draft into a worthy manuscript. As the deadline got closer, I was also in heavy publicity mode for my newly released book 4, Case of the Bleus. Last fall, I had three out-of-state appearances, plus book signings, and all the extra online marketing that comes with a new release (blogs, interviews, and podcasts). So, I was in crunch mode squared. 

Signing books at the St Louis Cozy Con

Once my manuscript was submitted and the publicity machine wound down, I immediately turned to thinking about book 6, wanting to get an outline done before the Fondue or Die revision suggestions would come back from my editor in mid-January. I had a couple of weeks to brainstorm and outline before my son came home for his college semester break. Then I promised myself (and him) I’d take a break for the holidays. I even took time off from my early morning part-time job. 

Book 5 in my Cheese Shop Mystery series

The first few days of switching off work mode, I felt mentally restless. I was so used to the constant thoughts of my books or my social media marketing, it was a tougher transition than I’d expected. I made an effort to post and scroll on social media significantly less frequently. I told myself it was okay if I didn’t keep up with everything that was happening in the mystery writing community. Although the habits were hard to break, what a relief it was! I was so much more mentally present. I stayed up late and slept in! (Not compared to my 19-year-old son, but both times were later for me.) I fell into a happy relax mode. My son and I made some short overnight trips and had a great holiday break, and when he left for his ski trip with his dad, I felt rejuvenated and ready to get back to work! 

Macy's in Herald Square, NYC

Alas, my relax mode was no less stubborn to leave behind than work mode had been two weeks prior. My alarm clock was waking me up at 5:45 AM, but I was not ready to relinquish my newfound mode. The book I’d been outlining was tapping me on the shoulder to come up with those final chapters, but my muse was also in no hurry to get back to work. Now that it’s been a couple of weeks, slowly but surely, I’m easing back into it. My New Year’s resolution for more work-life balance may be a little harder to achieve than anticipated, but then again, I’ve always done too much hopeful thinking. 

Did you make any New Year's resolutions for this year? 

The Writer's Perspective on Health, Happiness, and Prosperity by Debra H. Goldstein

The Writer’s Perspective on Health, Happiness, and Prosperity by Debra H. Goldstein

January begins a new year of dreams and hopes, but it is also a time for personal reflection. When I think about my family and friends, I wish them only health, happiness, and prosperity for 2020. Being honest, I’d like the same for me – but these thoughts take on different interpretations when one is a writer.

Health – We all wish to be healthy in the sense of no illnesses, injuries, or other personal calamities. Consequently, we are told to eat healthy, avoid alcohol and tobacco, exercise regularly, and get plenty of sleep. Writers? They fill the smoke-filled bars at conventions. Often, they eat on the fly because they are immersed in a project. They work in a solitary environment where they rarely leave their computers (which, by the way, is a good means of developing carpal tunnel syndrome from typing/ eye strain from not blinking/ neck and shoulder pain from poor keyboard posture). Finally, sleep and exercise go out the window when a writer is on deadline.

Happiness – Joy in the little things brings smiles to most people’s faces, but writers?  We are happy when people buy our books or tell us they like something we wrote, but we cringe at bad reviews, sales numbers that don’t meet our expectations, and when fans and friends don’t show up at signings. One writer, on deadline, compares the days she is immersed in writing to being in jail. I don’t find that a particularly happy image, do you? Or how about those instances when an idea is impossible to grasp or if it does invade one’s brain, it doesn’t work?

Prosperity – If prosperity is counted by the dollars earned or a declaration of being a New York Times Bestselling author, prosperity is the gold ring most writers can only dream about.

So, why do writers write? It certainly isn’t because it brings us pure health, happiness, and prosperity. No, after much reflection, I think it is because we must. We hope readers are happy with what we produce, but readership isn’t our primary purpose in spending our time writing. Although it may not be obvious, writers obtain health, happiness, and prosperity from the joy of sharing ideas through the written word. … and every now and then from reader reactions. Tell me, what about you? Why do you read and how does it impact your health, happiness, and prosperity?

New Year's Resolutions from the Stacks

Well, it’s January 5 and I’ve already blown my New Year’s resolutions, so I’ve decided to do something that’s more fun. I’ll make resolutions for other people.

Here’s a list of things that your librarian (that would be me) would like patrons to resolve to do – or not do in the library - for 2015 and beyond:

1. Please do not use nude photos of your girlfriend as bookmarks.

2. When you loudly answer your phone in the Quiet Study area, please don’t begin your conversation with “I’m in the library.” The irony kills us.

3. Parents, stop doing your kid’s homework. (Policymakers note: doing this would raise test scores and lower blood pressure for millions of people without spending a penny.)

4. Don’t eat in the library. If you are going to eat in the library, please choose an entrée that we can’t smell.

5. On a side note, when you do sneak food in, don’t leave your McDonald’s bag stuffed between Maurice Sendak and Dr. Seuss. This is a heavily trafficked area and the aroma of French fries has led to many of us falling off the Weight Watchers wagon.

6. If you are a government contractor who wants to reserve a conference room, please don’t tell me that you’re a non-profit. You are not. I am not bumping the children’s story time for you. Also, I am not your secretary. And yes, I am going to wait on patrons in the order they line up. That means I am going to help that eight year old figure out what book to read next in the Warriors: Omen of the Stars series. Yes, that is more important than you.

7. Please don’t leave your children unattended. Besides not being that guy’s secretary, we are not your babysitters.

8. When you return your copy of The Duke’s Deadly Desire with the pages damp and still scented with bath bubbles, please don’t tell us that you checked it out that way.

9. Students, don’t bother telling us that your project is due tomorrow. We know.

10. Don’t tell me that everything is on the Internet. “Everything” includes misinformation, disinformation, pay walls, and sales pitches disguised as information. We know where the really good stuff is – and we’ll help you find it.

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest, and here’s a resolution for 2015 we can all agree on: Have more fun. But, if you’re in a library, please do it quietly.

Do you have a new year’s resolution?