And now for my turn...Resolutions!

I had every intention to blog about the fantastic writing retreat I just went on last weekend until I saw Jordan's awesome post from Friday. And it made me realize that even though I have a bunch of resolutions sitting around in my head, it's been a while since I've truly considered what my writing resolutions are. And it's important to distinguish writing versus publishing resolutions here. These are two very different things.

If you're planning on coming up with a list for yourself, consider the answers to these questions:

What kind of writer do I want to be?
How would I want people to describe me as a writer?
If I could revise my writing life, what would I do?


So, thanks to Jordan, here are my top three WRITING resolutions for 2013!

1) Remember when it was all about the writing? There was no marketing and no publicity and no submissions or queries. It was just me and the pages. I loved seeing them fill up with pretty words. And sure, there is more on my plate now, but that's no excuse to let go of the joy of actually putting the fingers to the keyboard and letting the words flow. So I vow to celebrate the writing, even...

2) ...when it gets hard. The better I get, the worse I get. I find myself criticizing every scowl and nod. I'm sure every piece of dialogue I type out is flat. I hit the middle of the story and get tempted by a new, shiny idea. All these signs point to the same thing. I'm getting better, and therefore I'm getting worse. If writing were easy, everyone would do it. Everyone would have a book. But they don't, and only those that stick to it, day after day, will succeed. Which leads me to...

3) ...the day after day thing. Nothing used to get in the way of my writing. An hour. Maybe two. If I had to miss a night, I got cranky. I saw my schedule slipping. I got even more cranky. That is what I intend to get back to (well, not so much the cranky part, but the writing part). Every day, I vow to make progress in my story, be it first drafting, revisions, or final edits. We've heard it a million times, but perhaps that isn't enough. Write every day.


So in summary (and in haiku)...

I'll write every day,

Even when it gets sucky,

and I'll enjoy it.

(I googled every to check on the syllable count. It is 2.)

(Thanks, Jordan!)


*****

P. J. Hoover is the author of the upcoming dystopia/mythology YA book, SOLSTICE (Tor Teen, June 2013), the upcoming Egyptian mythology MG book, TUT (Tor Children's, Winter 2014), and the middle-grade SFF series, THE FORGOTTEN WORLDS BOOKS (CBAY, 2008-2010). You can read more about her and her books on P. J.'s website or blog.