Writing in the New Year

Every year don’t we all as writers make promises to ourselves to write more in the New Year? This will be the year when we get another book written or start working on the novel we’ve always wanted to write. This year seems to be even more challenging with all that has occurring around us, things over which we have no or little control.

Usually at this time of the year, I have often looked back on what I accomplished in the past year before I start making goals for the new year. It’s a good way of acknowledging  my good moments while recognizing what still needs to be done.  These past few months have been more challenging, especially since we often don’t have control over what is happening around us. That only makes our writing endeavors more critical.

Rather than worrying about not being able to write, this is a good time to take stock of what we have accomplished during this challenging last year and look forward to what we still want to accomplish and how we might want to get moving on a started project or working on something new.  

No matter what happens in the coming months, I know that one way or another I will be starting new projects and finishing old ones before the year is out. I will not stop and that is half the battle.

So how do we get started with fresh material and fresh ideas to start out the new year?   Well, here are some easy ideas that can help with your writing.

Experiment with a new genre

Take a class

Try a New Way of Researching

Write a short story

Try a New Approach

Let’s examine some of those tips for getting that fresh start for 2017:

1. Look for something new to do. One thing that has caught my interest as the year closed on 2020 was writing science fiction. Oh, I’ve had the idea in the past, but this year I am going to try it. Why not? Look around at the genre you are working in. Is it growing a little stale? Have you been considering another one? Why not try it now in the new year? Play with a short story if you can’t commit to something long. Or if you haven’t written a short story in a while, do that instead of a longer tale.
2. Take a class.  I always recommend classes when people are stuck with their writing. A different perspective on your work and a different way to look at an old topic can get the creative juices flowing again. I am always on the look out for new classes to take or something new to learn. Keeping my mind active is a good way to keep young. I am not taking a class this month, but I am teaching one on plotting and I’ve already come up with some new ideas from the students who will be in my class. 
3. Try a new method of researching.  One story I began working on last year required historical research and I found myself so involved in it that this past weekend I started off the new year at the library with an in depth look at the research department. I already came away with some new leads (and some new research books) that will help me get that story finished.
4. Write a Short Story. While writing a short story can sometimes be every bit as difficult as writing a full novel, I recommend it as a good way to either jump start your writing or to get a fresh perspective on your writing at the beginning of the year. Writing short still requires the basics of novel writing: you still need to come up with a plot, even if it is simple. You also have to develop real characters, and you have much less time to introduce them to your readers so it can be a challenging undertaking. But the best part is that you can finish it much quicker than a book and that gives you a sense of accomplishment that you can use to move back into your work in progress. It might even make you appreciate your writing more.
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   5. Try a new approach. This can make you think and it can also make you appreciative of the good elements of your writing while perhaps showing you some of your weaknesses. The best thing about trying a new approach is that you keep learning. Who knows, it might also introduce you to new methods you can use in the future. One thing I tried  years ago has really helped move along my writing career. I began working with a co-author. We started out teaching writing classes together, but since then Sue Viders and I have written several books on writing. This past year we decided to tackle a fiction book, and now our first cozy mystery has just been published. It's available at Amazon.com. Since we designed it to become a series, we're already working on book two.

One final note about finishing up the old year and looking forward--I usually write down my accomplishments from last year and set goals for the new year. This time around I am going to look at different methods of getting my writing output increased.

 

So look around you. What do you need to do to get more done in the new year? A new schedule, a new way of editing--what didn’t you do last year? Are there things you wanted to do that you put off?  Last year, I declared 202 as the year of finishing things, and that was exactly what I did. By the end of the year, I had three books published.

 

In 2023, I’m not looking to match that (since those books had all been started earlier) but I am hoping to get started on a new project and I’m hoping to complete the books I do have working at the moment. That way 2023 can be profitable and I can end it with a sense of satisfaction.

 

Happy writing in the New Year!