New Year’s Resolutions – 2010

It’s January 1, 2010.  The first day of a new year.  And with a new year comes the annual tradition of casting off whatever was wrong Happy New Yearwith the previous year and actually trying to make the new year better.

And this is my obligatory post where I lemming my way through listing what I have planned to accomplish in 2010.

I’ve never been any good at this.  I cannot think of a single New Year’s Resolution that I’ve ever kept.  But I’m going to try to reach the following four goals I have set for myself:

  1. Finish a novel manuscript. By January 1, 2011, I truly intend on having a novel’s manuscript completed.  Even if it’s the “only me” version of it, I am going to have this finished.  My life’s dream is to make my living as a writer, a novelist, so the first step is to make sure I can actually get a novel finished.  I’ll be chronicling my journey with my Writing my Novel series on this blog.
  2. Ready at least one short story for submission. In the same vein as number 1, the only way I can really get to the point where I can write for a living is to keep practicing.  And since I’ve never sold a piece of fiction before, I want to.  By the end of the year, I intend to have a single short story (or more, if I have the time and inclination, but at least one) written, edited, and submitted for professional publication.
  3. Keep my blog’s 3 posts a week schedule. I care about this blog.  I care about my readers.  And my wife said that my writing has improved 10x since I started blogging seriously in May.  All of that combines to make sure that I at least maintain my regular posting.  Successfully attaining this resolution means very likely that nothing will change around here (except maybe the quality of the posts will go up).
  4. Read each night before bed. They say that the only way to write a novel is to be a reader.  And I love to read.  Unfortunately, I don’t always make time to read books, even though I do read tons of blogs—is that bad?  From June 2008 to June 2009, I finished 47 novels.  From June 2009 to today, I have finished 3.  That’s embarrassing.  So in order to better facilitate my move into a working writer, I need to actually make an effort to do as the professionals say.  I’ll set time aside, even if that time is only an hour or less before I go to sleep every night.  Maybe only one chapter.  But it’s something.

And there they are. The four things I intend to work on for the duration of this year.

What do you have planned for the new year, for 2010?

By B.J. Keeton

B.J. KEETON is a writer, teacher, and runner. When he isn't trying to think of a way to trick Fox into putting Firefly back on the air, he is either writing science fiction, watching an obscene amount of genre television, or looking for new ways to integrate fitness into his geektastic lifestyle. He is also the author of BIRTHRIGHT and co-author of NIMBUS. Both books are available for Amazon Kindle.

14 comments

  1. My year will be spent volunteering at a dog rescue out in the middle of nowhere, a communal living environment with an earth-based spiritual foundation. I quit my cushy 10-year programming job to do this, so I must be at least a little bit crazy!

    I’ll be editing my manuscript this year, and I intend to submit for publication by 2011. I’m also writing a new story with a 2500-word deadline the first of every month – and yes, I met my first deadline today.

    And that’s it. That’s enough for one year, I think.
    .-= jane´s last blog ..Briar Rose Learns to Read =-.

    1. I think we’re all a bit crazy sometimes. If that’s something that makes you happy, Jane, then go for it. I really and truly wish you the best.

      I do with your writing, too. I’m glad to see that you already hit your first deadline. Most of my fiction time will come over the summer where my workload is significantly less. That said, I envy you being able to work on shorts for 2500 words a month. I fear if I placed that kind of deadline on myself, I’d get discouraged because of being so busy. But good luck, Jane! Let me know how it all goes!

  2. Definitely stick to 1-3! I think they reward you immensely in both life and personal satisfaction.

    As for #4… well I don’t read in bed and wouldn’t recommend it. Apparently it’s not good at helping you sleep well. Personally I like to read in the bath 🙂
    .-= We Fly Spitfires´s last blog ..My MMORPG New Year’s Resolution =-.

    1. Oh, I love reading in bed! It always puts me in just the right state of relaxation–lying next to my wife, a blanket wadded up underneath me as I lie on my stomach in the soft light and then just roll over and drift to sleep as I contemplate the narrative and the ideas I just absorbed. I love it!

      I can’t read in the bath. I’m too particular about my books and moisture (not to mention that I’m relatively clumsy).

    1. It’s what I had to do, too, Tesh. I cancelled my WoW account and suddenly I had much more time to read and write. What’s funny is that even though I’m into console gaming right now, I never feel the need for that to take over other hobbies or responsibilities as MMOs do.

      I look forward to reading your novel reviews. 😉

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