It’s that time again – the time when you make all those resolutions for the coming New Year.

Here are some tips and tricks to help you keep your resolutions:

1. Try to write something every day. Even if you only write a post for your author page on social media, you’ve accomplished something.
2. Set reasonable goals. Instead of “Write 3 pages per day” what about “Write one scene a day” or “Write a blog post every week”?
3. Focus on quality, not quantity. Set a goal to write something you’re proud of rather than trying for a lot of pages or a high word count.
4. Write what moves you. If your current Work In Progress is getting to be a lot of work, why not switch to something else for awhile and then come back to the original work? Give your brain some time to process and come up with new ideas.
5. Give yourself permission to fail. Writing is a process. Not everything is going to work out perfectly the first draft. Give yourself permission to write a crappy first draft then edit it into shape later.

What are your New Year’s Resolutions?

“Today is the first page of a 365-page book — write a good one.”

Didn’t get a source for that quote, but I saw it floating around the internet yesterday and thought it quite appropriate for us writers. It’s a new year: time for new beginnings, fresh starts, and clean slates.

Writing is a solitary craft. You tend to lose track of things like dates. It’s a good idea to come up for air once in a while, though, and reconnect with the world. New Year’s is a good time to do this. It’s the traditional sweeping out of the old, and a great opportunity to re-think your manuscript.

Instead of the more usual resolutions — weight loss and exercise goals, saving money or donating more to charity — I challenge you to create goals for yourself as a writer. Oh, all right, you can do that in addition to your other resolutions if you wish!

Here are some ideas for your writerly goals:

• Set a daily word or page count and keep to that goal
• Resist the editing urge – set a specific time to edit and stick to that (at the end of a chapter, for example, but no sooner)
• Track your progress – make a colorful chart or graph showing how far you’ve come
• Slow and steady wins the race – instead of beating yourself up for not writing as fast as your favorite author, pat yourself on the back whenever you finish a page or a chapter
• Work on your brand – if you haven’t done so already, set up that social media page and get your name out there
• Set up your website, too, and start blogging
• Read – spend some quality time analyzing how your favorite authors do it, or just getting some inspiration from enjoying a good story

And my favorite New Year’s goal? Write down every positive thing that happens to you over the next year, and tuck that scrap of paper into a jar or box. Next New Year’s — or anytime you happen to feel down — open up that package of happiness and refresh yourself.

What are your resolutions for the new year?