Happy New Year! Yes,
I should be writing fiction right now, but I'm a bit distracted, and I'm
thinking I'll do something that I have rarely done, because I often think its
pointless, tacky, or otherwise a set-up for disappointment and failure. I'm going to put forth a list of New Year's
"resolutions," to see where I want to be a year from now.
I list these as "Goals and Dreams," because that's
what they are. I don't have any
illusions, and know that I will fall short on some of these, but that's what
these lists are all about. More than anything, they're us "dreaming." We look at our lives and
wonder what could be better. Getting
there is the hard part, and while most if not all are possible with proper
planning and effort, much of the time we are just dreaming when we make up these
resolutions. I'll be honest and say
these are just what I would like to do, but acknowledge that I'll probably let
life get the better of me.
1: Write a new
novel. This should be an easy one for
me. I won National Novel Writing Month
each year I attempted it, and even before I discovered NaNoWriMo I once wrote a
100k novel in 3 weeks. The quality of
these speedy works are no less than those novels that took me months to finish,
so it isn't pace so much as feel that propels me. When I am in the writing zone and know where
I'm going with a concept, I can move quickly with skill. When I don't feel what I'm writing, it can
drag on, and get bogged down.
Regardless, I want to write another books this year. I just need to find the inspiration.
2: Lose 20
pounds. Isn't this one on most people's
list? I've always been fat, and I'm
getting older and tired of the extra pounds.
If I drop 20 pounds this year, I'll be healthier and happier. I could lose more than 20, but this is a
reasonable goal, one that I cannot guarantee I'll achieve, but at least this
way I have a chance.
3: Have a meaningful
relationship. Yes, it's been almost 2
years since my wife walked out the door, and June will mark 2 years since we
were officially divorced. I'm still not
sure if I'm ready to put myself out there, but this year I dream of having a
meaningful relationship. At the end of
2017, I hope to share with the world great news that I have somebody to
love. Though, please, nobody try to set
me up.
4: Get my 1954 Chevy
Bel-Air on the road. Okay, here's the
easy one. I've spent 5 years fiddling
with this old car, and at long last it's on the verge of being road-worthy. The windshield replacement ought to be
completed very soon, and then it should be just a matter of waiting for
spring. I'm not going to be stupid and
drive it around with salt on the road, but if I'm lucky, we'll be salt-free by
April and I'll finally be behind the wheel of this beautiful project that has
sucked up so much time and money. It
won't be a show car, but it'll be a gorgeous driver.
Is that all I can come up with? It's not a really long list, is it? I am a little disappointed that I am not
dreaming bigger. There was a time I would
have aimed to write 2 or 3 novels in a year, or dream of getting West of the
Warlock turned into a television series.
Ah, but I'm trying to set reasonable goals, and ones that are more in my
control. There are plenty of things I
can wish for in 2017, but many of those are not within my power. I can't expect to publish a Best Seller, or
to get a Studio contract. Those I can
dream about, but it's up to more than me for those to happen.
Maybe I should strive to write more blog posts this
year. Yes, that's #5: Write at least 1 blog post per week. There.
Now my list is complete. Here's
to having a great 2017!
PS: If you feel like reading this year, pick up one of these books: Martinus Publishing.
No comments:
Post a Comment