New Year’s Resolutions for Writers
We’re already hard at work planning our writing goals for 2024! Need some ideas?
Write Every Day: Commit to writing something, even if it’s just a few sentences, every single day to build consistency in your writing practice. This resolution could also come in the form of “Write a Poem Every Day” (Luisa Igloria, we’re looking at you!)
Set a Word Count Goal: Establish a monthly or weekly word count goal for your writing projects. This could be a novel, short stories, or any other creative endeavor.
Start a Blog or Journal: Begin a personal blog or journal to document your thoughts, experiences, or creative ideas regularly… Kind of like the one you’re reading now! 😁
Explore a New Genre: Challenge yourself by delving into a genre you’ve never tried before. It could be poetry, science fiction, mystery, or any other style that piques your interest. This year, our staff are trying out Screenwriting!
Join a Writing Workshop: Connect with other writers either locally or online to share your work, get feedback, and stay motivated. Ask your closest workshop student how they manage to get their submissions in on time 😂 (Check out our workshops and studios here!)
Complete a Writing Challenge: Participate in a writing challenge such as NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) or create your own monthly writing challenge. Let us know if you want to hear about more writing challenges throughout the year!
Edit and Revise Regularly: Dedicate time each month to editing and revising your existing work. This can be crucial for improvement and eventual publication.
📚 Read More: Expand your literary horizons by committing to read a certain number of books or explore genres you haven’t explored before. Do you have a Goodreads account? Friend us over there and share what you’re reading!
Submit Your Work: Make a resolution to submit your writing to literary magazines, contests, or publishers. Overcome the fear of rejection and embrace the submission process.
Attend Writing Workshops or Conferences: Invest in your craft by attending writing workshops, webinars, or conferences to learn from experienced authors and industry professionals. We love the Hampton Roads Writers Conference ❤️
Create a Writing Schedule: Establish a consistent writing schedule that works for you. Whether it’s early in the morning or late at night, having a routine can boost productivity.
Set Writing Milestones: Outline specific milestones for your writing projects. It could be completing a certain number of chapters, finishing a draft, or reaching a particular word count.
Learn a New Writing Skill: Choose a new writing skill to develop, such as mastering dialogue, improving pacing, or refining your descriptive writing.
Experiment with a New Writing Tool: Try out a new writing tool, software, or app to enhance your writing process. This could include tools for organization, brainstorming, or editing. We’ll have to ask our Scrivener teacher what his top ten writing tools are!
Build an Author Platform: Start or enhance your author platform by engaging with readers on social media, creating a website, or launching a newsletter.
Attend a Writing Retreat: Plan to attend a writing retreat to immerse yourself in a focused and inspiring writing environment. Find one of our favorite retreats here!
Complete an Online Course: Enroll in an online writing course to deepen your understanding of specific writing techniques or genres. You can find some of those right here. 😉
Seek Professional Feedback: Invest in professional feedback by hiring an editor or seeking critiques from writing professionals to improve your work.
Celebrate Rejections: Change your perspective on rejection. Instead of viewing it negatively, celebrate each rejection as a step toward growth and improvement.
Write a Personal Manifesto: Define your writing values, goals, and aspirations by creating a personal writing manifesto. Refer to it regularly for inspiration. ✨✨✨