Resolving To Make 2017 Positive

Which direction will 2017 take us?
Artwork by NaBHaN

Well, I didn't get my last two posts in. Both are about half-way done, but I just didn't have the free-time to write. I do still plan on getting them done and posted, but I wasn't able to hit my goal of 52 posts last year. Shame, I was doing so well.

Anyway, Happy New Year, everyone. I think it is a growing consensus that 2016 generally sucked on a lot of fronts: Political, Public Safety, Celebrity Deaths, somehow equal parts of Social Insensitivity and Over-sensitivity, and Relationship - both platonic and romantic - Upheaval for a lot of people. The one thing all of my friends and I can agree upon? It seemed 2016 tried to make up for it by dishing out a lot of job/career advancements....

This mock horror movie trailer pretty much sums it up.

That's behind us now, though. While there's still wrongs that we have to figure out how to live with now, the best we can do is be kind and loving to each other and push forward. Forget 2016, and focus on how great we can make 2017.

Sure, I didn't do as well as I would have liked with my writing in 2016, but I did a heck of a lot better than previous years. All the more reason I wish I had the time to do my review, so I could demonstrate. I did decide to do things a bit differently on the back-end this year, though, so it should be a lot easier for me to write my Year in Review at the end of December this time.

Since I spent my free time trying to write those two blogs - and didn't succeed - I obviously don't have much else writing-wise to report, so I'm just going to hop into my usual for my first post of the new year: My Resolutions.

I again looked over my resolutions from last year, as well as the growth I made coupled with the growth I still need to make. With some shifting around I came up with these six Resolutions:

Resolution #1: No More Than Three (3) Zero Days In Any Given Week

I'm trying this again. I still need to stop by the dollar store to get myself a calendar, though. I want to actually mark my writing progress. I want to mark when I write for my blog vs other writing on Tuesdays. I want to know when I've researched vs actual writing. I want to know when I've worked on an outline or world building vs writing prose or another line of script. This way I can not only see whether or not I can succeed at No Zero Days, but I can also see where my focus is throughout the year. Find a way to hone that focus next year.

Resolution #2: Complete the "Reading Books Like a Boss" Reading Challenge

I completed the Modern Mrs. Darcy reading challenge for last year; by the skin of my teeth. It was a fun challenge, and I loved that it actually DID get me reading again. Such a great pastime that I gave up on years ago. My thought process is that if I'm reading I have the time to do "higher priority" tasks like cleaning or writing. I always felt guilty about taking the time to READ a book instead of WRITE one. 

I'm happy to say that I conquered that thought last year, and I plan on beating it up again this year. First, let's take a look at my "score chart" from last year's reading challenge:

This doesn't even include the four or so extra books I read!

For this year, Spink found the new challenge for us. This time brought to you by Reading Books Like a Boss. I love that she loved last year's challenge enough to want to push for a second one! My mom and Cyhyr are also joining in again. Another one of our friends decided to come aboard as well, so we'll see how well everyone will do.

If you also want to join in, here's the challenge check list:

I have to do a slight adjustment with that first challenge point. Considering I didn't finish A SINGLE BOOK in 2015, I can't very well reread one I gave 5-stars to. So, that will simply be "Reread a book" again. Spink already has her first book picked out, but I'm still trying to finish tying up loose ends from 2016. I'll try to have a book picked out by next week's update.

It will prove difficult with my rough transition from 2016 to 2017 already delaying me, but an added challenge for me this year - since I managed a handfull of extra books last year - is to get up to 20 books read. We'll see how well I do.

Resolution #3: Constructively participate on the Writers’ Huddle Forum At Least Once A Week

I completely failed at this last year. I think it was the year I spent the LEAST amount of time over at WH. I focused on my own challenges, and my local writing group, and my "penpal" Atlanta. I didn't really think about WH all that frequently. 

Well, this year I have Habitica for the assist. True, it can't really do anything against me if I DON'T participate, and it is the honor system - as with all things on Habitica - but I'm putting this resolution at the top of my "Habits" list so I see it every day. I get experience and rewards if I add to the community, and I get damage if I go a week without participating.

I just need to go through and again deal with the daunting task of catching up on the forums after disappearing for half a year.

Resolution #4: Beta Read And Return Notes Within A Fortnight

Along with the reading challenge, I actually did really well with this. Granted, I was only given about four or five things to beta read over the course of the year - and most were super quick to read - but I managed it. So, I'm keeping this rarely-relevant resolution as a means of continuing my commitment to be a better help to my fellow writers.

Resolution #5: Have 52 Blog Posts Published Before The End Of 2017

I've been fairly good at keeping up with my posting date and time ever since I switched over to Tuesdays with my new job. I still didn't manage to hit all 52 posts, but I'm already taking measures to simplify things this year so I can better hit this goal. With some determination, I really feel that I can make it this time! Once I hit the "52 posts in a year" goal I might be able to finally have the "post every week" goal officially.

Still, 50 posts last year, with the last two in the works, isn't too shabby, right?

Resolution #6: Ronoxym's Writing Challenge

As I mentioned last week, I am planning on rolling over Ron's writing challenge for me from last year. I also talked about the tweaks I wanted to do to the challenge to make it more "doable" than last year's. Here's the new breakdown:

I have to write a flash fiction or vignette of 1000 words or less every week. I must then post them weekly here in my blog, as well as bring them with me to writing group. While I am now allowing myself the ability to write "fanfiction" based on the role-play games I participate in or reworks of stories my friends write, I'm still restricted from writing typical fanfiction based on professionally owned intellectual property; so, no books, shows, movies, songs, etc. Finally, while I'm still not allowing myself to have these stories be direct continuations of any others I write this year, I am allowing myself to write multiple stories within the same universe, and possibly with the same character. I think it will really help me develop my characters and my world more if I can write unrelated vignettes about each.

So, there you have it, my "new" set of resolutions for this year. Most of them are just rehashes from last year, but I think that's the point. I had writing issues I wanted to fix, and I feel the resolutions last year helped. I reworked the resolutions a bit to reflect the improvements I've made, and now I'm trying to use them again to refine myself. We'll see if I continue to grow, or if six resolutions truly is just too much to focus on. Personally, I don't think so. I feel it's just putting on paper, so to speak, the changes I've already committed to, and so it holds me accountable to keep working on them.

I'm hoping these resolutions and challenges really push me forward down the good trek I've started last year. Next year I want to have just one resolution: "Write a novel by the close of 2018." So, let's see if this year can prep me for that!

2016 Resolutions and Accountabilities

Alright, so I didn't manage to get to writing this as early as I had originally intended, but I'm determined to have it done before the end of the day so I can do my normal weekly update on Thursday and still manage to get on track to having 52 updates this year.

Speaking of which, that's what I wanted to talk about in this post: 2016 New Years Resolutions.

Pretty much every one of them are going to be the same as last year's, but this time I'm doing more to make sure I stick with them. A lot more accountability.

Resolution #1: No More Than Three (3) Zero Days In Any Given Week

I'm going to attempt to do the "Don't Break The Chain" concept of marking a calendar. Thing is, I need the calendar first. "Don't Break The Chain" and "No Zero Days" is basically the same concept. The thought is to do something productive daily that works towards an overall goal. Each day you accomplish this - a non-zero day - you mark your calendar. After a little while you'll see a chain of days that you managed to do the task you set out to do: write, draw, sing, exercise, clean, etc. It's added motivation to see that chain of "x"s - or whatever it is you use to mark the calendar - add up each day. You really don't want to "break the chain" by having a day not marked off. It's kind of weird to say this, but it's the same concept as marking a toddler's "potty chart" whenever they use the toilet instead of their diaper. They get excited about the number of stickers they get, and they are disappointed when they can't get one because they didn't use the toilet.

Humans are simple creatures, and at times I feel like I need to just go back to those original tricks of "training" toddlers in order to help me break my bad habits. I've been sort of fail so far this year due to being sick, and so I'm hoping adding the "Don't Break The Chain" concept will help keep me disciplined.

In the meantime, I have some challenges to keep me writing. First is the fact that the local writing group gives out prompts at the end of each meeting, and I try to write off of those prompts in time to read it at the next meeting. It's been going well so far.

Second is that Phfylburt and I have a challenge set up for each other too. He's switched over to wanting to draw daily to improve that skill. So every Sunday we are now giving each other challenges/prompts. The following Sunday we exchange what we did that week given the prompt/challenge. Then we repeat the process by issuing each other a new prompt/challenge.

I'll go more into this a bit later.

Resolution #2: Read At Least One Book A Month

I wanted to make sure that I get this one this year. So, I started off by using my sickness downtime to crack open The Throne of Fire yet again. I managed to put a bit of a dent into it too. I'm aiming to have this book FINALLY done before the end of the month so that I can also manage to sneak in a book that I can "read in one day." Why one day?

Much like with my first resolution, I've made sure to include a challenge for accountability sake. The challenge was put out by blogger Anne on the site Modern Mrs. Darcy. The long and short of it can be found in this picture she created:


Now, just having the challenge and saying I want to do it is a start, but I've learned that I never tend to follow through with anything unless someone else can check in on me. So, my mom, Spink, and Cyhyr are all joining me. On the first of each month we are going to do a check-in to state what book we read and under what category of the checklist it was for us. This way we're not restricted to finding a book we'll all read as a typical reading group would, but we all still get the benefits of talking about the book we chose.

Resolution #3: Constructively participate on the Writers’ Huddle Forum At Least Once A Week

Tweaked the wording of this a little from last year. I want to be a more active member again. I was doing so well for a while, and then again dropped off the face of the Earth. I have to be honest, part of me doesn't want to click on that link to go back to the forums because I know I have a lot to catch up on, and it'd daunting. But little bits here and there to slowly catch up shouldn't be too overwhelming. Baby steps. So, I'm tasking myself to rejoin the forum community by the end of this week. The accountability will be forum members seeing me active. The trick is going to be remaining active once the chaos of November and December swing by again. I just need to see if I can get one or two of them to send me FB messages asking me if I'm still alive if I haven't logged in after a week. I think that might do it.

Resolution #4: Complete At Least One Writers' Huddle Module

Last year I did the MasterClass, and I still pull from it all the time. It has really reshaped the way I look at certain things in regards to writing. Knowing how much it can impact me, I'm really going to try to get through one of the modules on Writers' Huddle.

In fact, Ali Luke just put up a new seminar about beating both procrastination and writer's block. That sounds right up my alley! She also just sent me an advanced copy of her book on basically the same subject to beta read. Now, to find a way to make myself accountable so I don't slack off on this again....

Resolution #5: Beta Read And Return Notes Within A Fortnight

As I just stated, Ali just sent me - this morning, actually - an advanced copy of her book on finding the time to write, with hopes that I can beta and get some notes back to her. That's actually the next thing on my To Do list after finishing this post. I'm hoping it will work well with my other resolutions to keep me on the straight and narrow when it comes to writing discipline.

I also have to get around to reading DFL's story that she sent me a little over a month ago. It didn't seem like such a big task at first. She wanted me to read her backstory for her characters. I was figuring it was something like Amara's; about 4 or 5 pages long. Instead, it turns out that her "backstory" is actually her "original story"; the first story in this saga that she wrote a few NaNoWriMo's ago. The whole document is over 100 pages. Not the "sit down and get through it in one day" reading I was expecting.

So I've put it off. Something that is not fair to DFL at all. As a means to try to correct this wrong, I'm going to push myself to get through at least one scene every two weeks so I have something new to bring to her at the bi-weekly meetings. I only have one week this go, though, since our meeting is next Tuesday night.

From this point out, I'm going to try harder to actually do right by the people I beta for. Get them their notes quickly. Especially after hearing how quickly James Patterson can manage this task. Once more, though, I feel I need some way of holding me accountable, and I don't think it's going to be via complaints. So far I've dealt with some saintly patient writers....

Resolution #6: Have 52 Blog Posts Published Before The End Of 2016

I dropped the first part about "six items of prose published" because with all of these challenges keeping me away from zero-days, I should have something new to post every week. The trick is getting around to writing my weekly blog posts. So, this year I'm going for the big 5-2. I've come close, but I haven't actually done it yet. Perhaps this will be the year. Then, maybe 2017 will be the year of me posting an update at the same time and on the same day every week.

Alright, so those are my resolutions this year, with added accountability to try to get me to actually succeed with them this time. How have I been doing so far?

Well, for the Non-Zero Days, I've been "meh". I wrote on the 4th in order to have that dog story ready for the meeting on the 5th. I wrote my blog post last week. I'm working on this post today - and I started it yesterday - so there's that. Plus I worked on the challenge that Phfyl gave me. I have been doing other story-related things lately, but that's all the writing I've been doing.

Speaking of Phfyl's challenge, I promised last week, as well as earlier in this blog, to showcase what I wrote. Keep in mind that I'm not a poet, and this is VERY rough. As Phfyl put it:

Phfylburt: It did feel like a first draft and that it was kind of simply scratching the surface. It also didn't feel complete, like it could have used two or three more lines. Of course this is all subjective, so take it as you will.

He prefaced with a lot of nice things about the poem, which shocked me since I still think I suck at it. I'm with him, though, it does feel like a first draft. However I don't have a clue on how to edit a poem. Prose you can see where you can add description, or cut it, or add/cut dialogue, or where you can use a better word. Poetry? I dunno. Too "unstructured" for me, I guess. Kind of like how I'm not a fan of the "Open World/Sandbox" games like Elder Scrolls where you can go anywhere, do anything, or be anyone. I need more guidelines.

Alright, enough dawdling.

Inner Critic
Inadequate
Everyone else has their plan
What is mine? Where am I headed?
What’s going to grab me; drive me?
Self-doubt
We all have it, and I need to conquer it
I can do this.
I need to do this.
This is me. Why can’t I find me?
Push through. Always pushing through.
Focus on the good. Focus on the positive.
Still, I feel so behind; just trying to catch up.

Want to know a fun bit of trivia about this poem?

The challenge was "write a poem (lets say simply twelve lines) describing nothing. It can be in whatever form you would like."

I interpreted that to mean that I wasn't allowed to describe anything. Phfyl MEANT for me to literally describe "nothing." He wanted to see what I would come up with in poetry form as I described the essence of "nothing"; however I saw it. The real fun part about this whole misunderstanding was that when he read my poem he thought that I had followed as intended, except that I was describing what it felt like to think of yourself as nothing.

I guess that is partially true. Maybe a part of my subconscious figured out what Phfyl was going for and decided to point me in that direction. So, the poem ended up having me describe what it was like to feel like nothing, while avoiding describing anything at all.

Huh....

Well, my latest challenge is to write a news report based on a song. I'm still trying to figure out what song to use. I've also sent out a query late last night to see if Ronoxym wanted in on these challenges in order to stay on top of his reading/writing. He hasn't replied as of this posting. I hope he is willing to join in on this, because I have a great challenge in mind for him!

I'm now off to read Ali's book, which I might be able to qualify as my "read in one day" book for this month. I'm hoping to get another post in this week on my normal Thursday update. Keep your fingers crossed for me.