January was a pretty good month, all told. I set the bar by instituting a lot of new practices that I intend to make habits. I came up with three monthly goals for this year and I am happy to say that I completed the majority of them. That might seem like a silly thing to be bragging about but the reality is, I am a mom first and being a mom means that I am in high demand during almost all twenty-four hours of a given day. The fact that I completed any of my goals is a miracle and I am really proud of that. In addition, I am a perfectionist and so continuing to stick with the goals I had written out, even while not getting it right every single day, is HUGE for me. That is probably the biggest win of all.

In January I wrote 6,500 words, submitted two poems for publication, submitted two short stories for editing/review, read 1/4 of The Writing Life, developed one short story idea and two novel ideas, with the help of my super creative hubby, and (on top of it all) started a new job. All in all, a big month and not to shabby of a start to this new year of writing. I realized that getting in 500 words a day was too much for me in this season of young babies so, for February, I have lowered the count a little in the hopes that I will complete the entire month. So far, so good, she said on day three. 

What new things are you trying with your writing? What seems to work and what have you had to tweak?

Well, this is it. The last week before a new year, a clean slate, a fresh beginning. 2014 was a good year for me, as far as writing is concerned. I didn’t accomplish all my goals but I came closer than I ever have before and I am proud of that. Heading into 2015 I wanted to come up with some more attainable resolutions and I thought, maybe if I share them with you, that will help motivate me to achieve them. So, without further ado, my 2015 New Year’s resolutions:

1. Read 1 book a month. Ok, this might seem really ridiculous (especially for those of you who know me and how much I love to read) but I seriously only read like 6 books last year. It’s sad. With writing and cleaning and “momming” I just didn’t devote the time I wanted to reading. To make sure this actually happens, I’ll be posting a review of the book I read on the blog on a monthly basis. So less time on Facebook and more time flipping pages! 

2. Write a certain number of words per day each month. This number will vary each month (one month may be 350 words, another may be 500) but I want to cultivate a habit of writing each day because I know it will pay off in the long run. It worked for Kazuo Ishiguro. I will share one of my word count “stories” per month, just so you can keep tabs on me (and so I’ll actually do them).

3. Complete something each month. I know, vague right? But I need to get some edits done and I need to crank out some new stories so vague is the best I can do. I will try to share a review of sorts each month that outlines any submissions, edits, ideas, drafts that were completed in the month to keep myself accountable.

I think those are totally doable and realistic goals for the new year. How about you? Any goals, writerly or otherwise, that you’ve set for yourself in this brand new year? I can’t wait to hear all about them!