We made it to 2021! Although I don’t harbor any illusions about how much better and fairer and less stressful and less . . . plague-ridden the coming year will be, I’m still so, so ready to leave 2020 behind.
I wrote in last year’s resolution’s post about how I was craving “stability and consistency,” and after twelve months of near constant tumult, that’s still true. But after so much time spent physically stuck in one place, I’m also craving progress and novelty, even if neither of those things look or feel quite the way they would in a regular year.
With this year’s resolutions, I’m aiming to strike an appropriate balance between routines and habits that will provide some of the stability I need while also adding new – and safe – kinds of pleasure to my life. I’m also narrowing my focus to only those professional goals that will steer me toward the kind of writing career I’d like to have. Although I’ve dabbled – and will likely continue to dabble – in a bunch of different mediums, I want to be known first and foremost as a novelist. And if I’m going to achieve that particular goal, then I need to put my novels ahead of my other creative work.
First though, here are my resolutions for 2021:
- Stick to my bedtime routine and assigned bedtimes 80% of the time during all twelve month this year.
- Complete the calligraphy project I’ve been considering for at least three years now. (Relatedly: Begin practicing calligraphy again.)
- Move. (This is, admittedly, the diciest of my resolutions, because there are two major external factors that could derail our plans which we have no control over. However, after being forced to put our move on hold because of the pandemic, I really, really want to avoid staying put for a whole ‘nother year. We’ll see how things pan out . . .)
Meanwhile, my business plan for 2021 includes:
- Complete my first revision pass of my Girl Vigilantes manuscript, hand the manuscript off to a couple of CPs for additional feedback, and either complete or make serious progress on my second revision pass.
- Finish revising my query letter for Girl Vigilantes.
- Draft, polish, and complete a synopsis for Girl Vigilantes.
- Compile the list of agents I plan to query once Girl Vigilantes is complete.
What are your New Year’s Resolutions? Or, if you don’t make resolutions, what are you hoping to accomplish in the coming year?
Love it! The Merida gif is perfect. And hey, I’ve just started following your blog! Amen to all of your resolutions especially that calligraphy project 😉
Thanks for following, Lily! That calligraphy project wound up being the digital design project I told you about it, which – ironically – means it’s the only one of my resolutions or goals I’ve managed to complete for the year so far. One down, too many to go, haha.