What do Writers Intend for the New Year? by Rachelle Ayala

Photo by Victoria Bilsborough on Unsplash

Hello friends! I hope all of you have had a very wonderful holiday and rang in the new years with cheer. I had my family over, including my adult son and daughter and son-in-law. We went hiking in the desert, watched movies, took walks, ate out and cooked in, drank champagne and poured Guinness. I wish everyone a happy 2018!

So, what do writers do about New Year's Resolutions? Well, like most other people, there will be something about weight, maybe, or exercise, yeah, right, and writing goals, what else?

I'm not into resolutions, but I do believe in setting goals that are challenging enough not to be a "slam-dunk" but easy and doable so I don't discourage myself. Obviously, I want to write every day. Doesn't every writer? How many words is enough to count as having written? Why am I worried about this?

You are what you do. A writer writes. A dancer dances. An actor acts. A breather breathes.

But I'm here to tell you that you DON'T have to write every day to be a writer. You do have to breathe, yes, but you don't have to write or dance or practice your violin daily to claim your identity.

However, to write more is desirable. After all, we have stories brimming out of our heads, characters who need their stories recorded, and readers waiting anxiously. So here are some ways we writers psych ourselves out to get down to the business of writing (daily or hourly or minutely?)

1. Be grateful and set your mindset for an active and successful day. Stretch wide and reach up to the universe when you get out of bed. Tell yourself it's a beautiful day and you're going to have a wonderful day. Give thanks and take deep, full breaths. Smile and stretch. Stand up straight and get started with your best day ever.

2. Free-form journal first thing in the morning. Don't worry about grammar, sentence structure, thoughts, anything. Get out a notebook and a pen and rip away. Funny words, sad words, nonsense words or a to do list for the day. Once you do this, you've broken the dam and you can claim victory. "I've written today!"

3. Record the time each day that you open your manuscript file for your work in progress and make a change, add or delete a word. By setting a goal that is simple and doable, you don't fail. Now, scribble anything you can think about with your characters, what they're up to, how they feel, what they want to do next. Just write, even if it's for five minutes, ten or fifteen minutes. Some writers set a timer and that's great if it works for them. I get interrupted by husband and kids so I write in stolen moments, in my car, or waiting around at the mall, or between cooking tasks. Guess it means I'm sprinting all the time, and stolen moments are sweeter and more intense.

4. Be happy. Think happy thoughts. Avoid negative people, news, and drama. I've told my walking partner I don't want to hear the daily news or politics. I want to watch the birds, look at the lake, hear about her family, and marvel at the goodness of being alive and free.

So, that is my new year's intention. To be happier, more content, and grateful. The words and stories will flow, the friendships and relationships will thrive, and I will find the good in every day.

Happy New Year to all! Please do join the Sweet Romance Reader Facebook Group so you can connect with us and join our wonderful parties.

Check out my SWEET romances at:

 https://www.rachelleayala.net/sweet-romance

Here's what I'm working on next. It's Larry and Jenna's third story, following Valentine Hound Dog (2016) and Valentine Wedding Hound (2017). I hope intend to have it out by Valentine's Day 2018.

Larry and Jenna have it all—a fairy tale romance, a sweet and gassy basset hound dog, and a dream home on the way.

As Valentine’s Day draws near, and with it, their first anniversary, Jenna plans a big surprise for Larry, a scarred and injured firefighter who is on disability.

When Harley, their hound dog, spoils the surprise, Jenna is shocked at Larry’s reaction.

Will a house full of puppies and kisses be the lucky charm Jenna needs to convince Larry that he can truly have a big and noisy happily-ever-after family?

Booklovers and Bookstores by Patricia Forsythe

Every writer I know was first a booklover.  Writers are people who were early and voracious readers, enthralled by picture books, then chapter books. 

I was born and raised in a small mining town in Arizona by parents who were determined that their children would go to college.  I didn’t appreciate the importance of that in my younger years, but it helped that I had a mother who was a dedicated booklover.  There were always books in our home, but most of the books I read came from the school library or from the public library, or were borrowed from friends.  My best friend was also a voracious reader and we used to entertain each other by relating the plots of our favorite books.  I don’t recall what mine was at the time, but hers was The Wahoo Bobcat by Joseph W. Lippincott.  As I grew up, I was for many years, a Book-A-Day reader – at least until I had kids. 

 Bookstores were unknown in our corner of southeastern Arizona, but they were among my favorite haunts when I went to college.  It’s been interesting and emotional to watch the changes in bookstores over the years.  It was emotional because small, family-run bookstores gave way to big box stores like Borders and Barnes & Noble, which gave way to Amazon and other online retailers.  Now it seems to have come full circle back to small, neighborhood bookstores.  I find this encouraging because I love to walk into a bookstore, talk to knowledgeable staff members, and buy books for myself or others.       Libraries and bookstores are vital because they are repositories of information on all kinds of topics, and guardians of the stories we humans tell ourselves, the ones that help us make sense of the world. 

Patricia Forsythe is the author of many romances, both traditionally and electronically published.  Her next book will be Her Lone Cowboy, a Harlequin Heartwarming novel available in June 2015.  Visit her at patriciaforsythebooks.com.

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