Last year around this time, I asked you what your resolutions were. Ideas mentioned: dedicate the year to novel writing, quit a day job, send a query letter, revise a manuscript. Any progress on your own personal 2011 goals? Any new ideas for 2012 resolutions? (And do stay tuned for more info on the January resolve-to-write event.)
I tend to make long resolution lists. This year, I decided to focus in one category: how I organize my time. This week, I started making notes on what exactly I mean by that, and I came up with five weak areas, the most significant one not being procrastination or simple wasting but time fragmentation. Just when I’m starting to write well, I take little breaks to check email or go online (sometimes for research, sometimes to check on unrelated work issues). It’s like my brain needs a little reinforcement hit, whether the work is coming well or poorly. I recognize this as a sign of our increasingly distractible society (read this Scientific American article on multi-tasking and how it builds on and leads to greater distractibility).
Sherry Simpson provided us some amazing tech tools and anti-distraction inspiration in her December posts as featured author, and included within my time resolution is the plan to check out at least one of the apps she recommended (Write or Die).
What are you resolving to do this year?
rewrite the damn novel again
For 2011 I resolved (or set the goals, same thing?) to revamp my website and get an agent. I am working with a professional now on the website, and will hopefully have it up by the end of January. I haven't met the agent goal, will keep that for 2012. I'm still thinking about other goals for 2012, and may have them ready for a January 20 event. I'll be curious to see what others have to say….