2016 Writer Resolutions Are B.S.

It’s 2016 and there’s wild optimism in the air.  A new year, a new start.  We pledge ourselves to new behaviors, commit ourselves to doing what we’ve failed our whole lives to do. We see a fresh beginning because the calendar permits, even encourages it.  That’s all so wonderful but I say screw resolutions.  You don’t need to make promises you can’t keep or to state things that move from willful intentions to utter lies.  No, you need only vow to change things – actions, views, attitudes – when the time feels right and when the circumstances dictate it.  The first of January need not roll around for you to take control of your life.

But if you insist, try following any of these resolutions.  If not now, embrace them January 17 or March 26 – or any date and year that fits your true needs and desires:

1. Vow to write more often, though quality is to be prized over quantity.

2. Promise to do better at meeting writing deadlines.

3. Commit to promoting and marketing your writing.

4. Resolve to be a better reader.  What you read can influence and inform your writings.

5. Promise to help others read books, whether a child, a blind person, someone with a learning disorder, an ESL student, or an illiterate.

6. Swear you will support your local reading economy and community – visit bookstores, libraries, and cultural centers.

7. Give the gift of books to others – literally.  No need to wait for Christmas to give books or bookstore gift cards to people. Do the same for birthdays and other special occasions.

8. Study the English language. Writers are in charge of preserving it.  Begin by properly learning it. While you are at it, vow to increase your vocabulary.

9. Resolve to get a good editor.  Writers simply can’t get dressed without one.

10. Pledge to write something useful, interesting and original. Good enough is not good.  Raise the bar and write beyond your perceived abilities.

2016 – and all years – holds the promise of being better than last year or better than many, most, or all years before.  Live each day fully and whether you promise to lose weight, make money stop a bad habit, or commit to doing more charity, always vow to be better at your writing craft.  Your career or legacy doesn’t just depend on it – the quality of your readers’ lives and society depends on it.

Happy New Year!

2016 Book Marketing & Book Publicity Toolkit

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2015/12/2016-book-marketing-book-publicity.html

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2016