Revolutionary Resolutions

Is the pending new year bringing out that first day of school feeling when all things are possible; and you might not be the geek/nerd again this year, but actually make the team or be noticed by the cute jock? Oh, all the fresh blank notebooks and sharp pencils just waiting to be put to use.

Or is it a nameless dread you feel? Like all those "I should..." things lining up to form a parade of intended resolutions. Either way, I hope you at least get the chance to consider your goals for the year, and you find satisfying ways to achieve them.

I'm opening up my writing business plan to review 2008 and planning for 09. I'm very determined this year in my goals, and as soon as they're fleshed out on paper or in a Word document, I'll share them. I'm looking forward to getting to work on my manuscript January 1st, and also participating in Melissa's The Just Write Challenge. I can just feel it...it's gonna be a great year. Especially with all us writing bloggers keeping each other in thought and prayer for forthcoming good news!

Since one of my goals is to write more, share more and submit more, here's a little something I wrote in the year 2000, which I updated to make it current:

Riting Resolootions

The clock is ticking. My hands sweat over the keyboard, mind as blank as my checkbook balance. The mere mention of the "R" word makes my heart palpitate with negativity. Billowing red flags wave in my head. "All this over simply committing to paper your New Year's resolutions?" you ask. Well, it's not as simple as it sounds.

Rarely having succeeded in lots of decades at keeping any of those good intentions and resolutions, it has come to be my theory that I basically sabotage my goals and efforts by shackling them to that first day of January's clean slate of new habits and goals. My midriff's spare tire and home's roaming dust rhinos attest to my history of resolution failures.

Armed with this new psychological profile of myself, I will endeavor harder than ever to make progress this year, at least in my writing life. The rest of the usual stuff can just slide for 365 days. Therefore, I freely and honestly resolve to set no other goals except for this important area of my existence. There is research to be done, my women's fiction manuscript to perfect, feverish midnight compilations of weekly columns and manuscripts to edit, plenty of poetry and VizPo to be crafted, unending blog posts to make, and more than enough pressure to produce writing gems and witticisms whenever I so choose. And I do so choose. This year will be the year writing resolutions are kept or exceeded!

I, being of relatively sound mind and body, do herewith proclaim I will write even when time doesn't allow. When the muse strikes me, my printer cartridge is full, and the kids and part time jobs all line out to give my dwindling mental abilities time to function, I will write like my bahonkus is on fire. Then I will studiously (and after much research) begin the querying process like a someone driven.

That said, I feel optimistic about my chances for success in the writing arenas of 2009. Bring it on! How about you?

{Picture from photobucket.com}