By. Brandon Lang

Well, here we are once again, the end of the year. That time of the year when people reflect and realize that the majority of that time was spent watching Netflix or doom-scrolling. We reflect and wish to do more, to be more creative with our free time. We set New Year’s Resolutions to be more creative and more active, but unfortunately that only lasts a few weeks. Why?

Unfortunately, life gets in the way of our ability to pursue creative activities, and our own desires for easy entertainment can get in the way of pursuing creative activities that require mental exercise.

I’m sure that many writers, including myself, want to set creative writer goals for the new year but how can we ensure that we follow those goals?

Well here are some tips that may help you maintain your writing New Year’s resolutions.

1. It’s Dangerous To Go Alone – Most of the time it is difficult to keep ourselves accountable, especially when there aren’t major consequences for procrastination. Making excuses for ourselves until we can justify not continuing the set goal, but if we can someone else to keep ourselves accountable then we would be more likely to not deviate from the set goal. Find someone who will keep you accountable for your goals. It could be meeting up once a month to show each other the progress that you both made that month. Whatever it is, having someone there to work with will ensure that you are kept accountable and it will make the progression of the goal more enjoyable. Let us move away from the stereotype of writers writing alone in a motel, collaborative work is just as satisfying.
2. Baby Steps – First of all, writing is a craft. Like all crafts, it is a skill that can’t be mastered in a short amount of time and if you try to master it quickly, you’re going to have a bad time. Start small and work your way up. Before tackling a novel, first try some writing prompts.
3. Learning From Others- If you want to paint well, view the work of skilled painters; if you to make movies, watch the work of skilled directors; and if you want to be a writer, read the work of skilled writers. In addition to your writing New Year’s resolution, it will be good to set a reading goal as well so that you will be able to read more. It’s important to read the way you want to write. Find an author that you like and inspires you and read their work.
4. Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day – Set a schedule, that’s it. It needs to be a schedule that works for you and your lifestyle. It can be as simple as 30 minutes a day or an hour every Sunday. The most important part is that it is a schedule that is easy for you a keep. The more complicated it is the more likely you’ll find an excuse to ditch it.

That’s it. Those are a few tips that will hopefully help you in keeping your creative writing New Year’s resolutions. I hope that you all have a good Year of the Dragon that is filled with creativity and a little bit weird!!