Even though it’s three weeks into the New Year, it’s never too late to set out your New Year Resolutions. In my opinion, you can decide on New Year Resolutions any time up until 31 December!
So, in no particular order, here are my creative resolutions for 2014.
1. Get organised
I was particularly inspired by two bloggers’ recent posts on the importance of setting writing goals and keeping journals.
This is the very serious looking notebook where I plan my blog posts and jot down ideas.
I’m a big fan of those little notebooks which they give away with magazines. I don’t know what other people do with their free Harpers Bazaar notebook, but mine contains meticulous plot notes!
Does anyone else have any writerly superstitions? I can’t write except with a Bic finepoint pen! I write all my stories out by longhand in little notebooks, although sometimes the design doesn’t suit the storyline.
2. Consider setting up Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook profiles
Hmm, unfortunately this sounds like work. My resolution says “consider” not actually “set up”.
3. Re-design blog for a more professional look
I set this blog up six months ago using the first template I saw. Then people started popping in, and I haven’t really had a chance to redecorate!
However, this also sounds like work. Put this off for a month or two, I think.
4. Develop business strategy
This requires thinking. And work. Oh dear.
5. Read more
I’ve got to read more. I’m going to read at least one book a week. This is what’s on my reading list right now:
Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Edgar Allan Poe
Frozen Earth: the once and future story of ice ages by Doug MacDougall
On Writing – a Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
Cemetery Tours by Jacqueline E. Smith
Tuned to a Dead Channel (Sci-fi Short Fiction Collection)
The French Cat by Rachel McKenna
“The French Cat” is admittedly a photography book, containing photographs of French cats. In this book I learned that Antoinette Deshoulieres, a poet at the court of Louis XIV, used to write letters in the name of her cat, Grisette, to the Duc of Vivonne’s dog.
I guess this proves that cats were always destined for literary greatness, as evident from the number of blogs that cats seem to be writing today 😉
17 responses to “Writing journals, New Year Resolutions and a Literary Cat”
Amazing to finish a book in a week. A book at least takes me a month or more due to many commitments. The notebooks I receive are to write down my ideas as well
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I will try to read a book in a week 😉
I love journals and notebooks 🙂
You’ll love Poe, MC 🙂 And Mr. King is also in my book pile!
Good luck with all these plans, they all sound great and I feel can’t fail to keep everything moving and happening for you 😀
Thanks J.S! Full steam ahead!
Bring me that horizon 😀
We’re on the right path!!
Yes, yes, this does all sound like a lot of work. Maybe you could add daydreaming to the list? I tell my husband I’m working all the time when he catches me staring out the window. And it’s like you’re working-you’re coming up with ideas-but you don’t have to get off the couch.
I have a Twitter account, but I haven’t been very good at keeping it active. Facebook is on my list too, but I’m a little afraid that one could suck up a lot of my time!
Daydreaming – why I can tick that off the list today!
I actually had a manager who would stare out the window all day and everyone used to say, hmm, he’s thinking. It’s all about perfecting that thoughtful stare.
When you start tweeting, do people follow you? Or do you go out looking for folks? Do you tweet at people? Do you worry if no one tweets at you? Oh my, it does sound like work!
You follow people on Twitter and then they will usually follow you back. So, you do kind of have to search people out at first, but as a writer a lot of them will find you.
You can send out general tweets to the whole world or use the @ symbol like @jenniferwindram to tweet at me.
Some people really love it. I still struggle to keep up with it. I’ve had a couple of pretty funny conversations, but you have to be ready to just jump in there. It’s like being at a party and walking up to a group of people and being like, Hi…
It’s a fair amount of work, really I think we should just go back to point #1 and focus on the daydreaming 🙂
Hee hee! Well don’t be that surprised if you get a tweet from me in the future!
I have a notepad to write my ideas and a notebook for brainstorming and research on each story. Goal setting is great, it’s a matter of setting ones you can achieve! Easier said than done! Need to live as well 😀 Great post MC.
Thanks – I think I need to break down my goals a bit further, to make them more achievable!
Small and achievable is the key 😀
What a great post. I want that notebook too so I can do one of those drawing books on the bottom of the page 😉
I too have same resolutions. Merely setting account in twitter, tumblr is not enough, you have to be active in them which means spending atleast 45mins on each daily.
Thanks for the advice and for stopping by the blog!
I don’t know where I am going to find another 45 minutes a day 😉
I guess if you enjoy what you do, it is less work. I love blogging and reading other people’s blogs, so hopefully I will enjoy Twitter.
[…] the two thirds mark – maths was never my strong point), I thought it timely to revisit my New Years Resolutions. Things are not looking too […]