Setting Realistic goals

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Writing Resolutions for 2012
January 3, 2012 by Deborah Owen
Setting Realistic Writing Resolutions for 2012
by S.A. Gibbins, volunteer staff

Suffice it to say, if you didn’t write anything on January 1 or 2, you have some catching up to do and your writing resolutions aren’t making the grade.

Did you ever wonder where New Year’s resolutions come from? The Babylonians, and we still carry that tradition on today. Resolutions usually indicate an effort to change your life for the better. So how’s that working for you?

The best of intentions tend to wane as the year grinds on, but let’s be real, if you’re already have problems, your resolutions aren’t holding up too well. Any goal or resolution involves determination!

Let’s look at ways to improve this year:

1. Set short goals. Resolve to write five minutes a day, six days a week and make no exceptions! True, you won’t have time to write deep or stir passion, but at least it’s a reachable goal that can lead to bigger things.

2. Concentrate on weak areas with vim and vigor. Rather then adopting the attitude “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” try “it’s never too late to learn.” Whether it’s punctuation, grammar, transition sentences, or structure, you CAN improve this year, but do so methodically.

3. Get serious about writing. Stephen King encourages writers to set aside an hour or two for writing daily. Get up a little early, stay up a little later, or punish yourself when you don’t meet your goal. Whatever it takes.

4. Find your favorite writers and read everything they wrote. Part of it will sink into your sub-conscious and come out your fingers.

Improving calls for great effort and determination. Stick to your resolve and don’t give up. When you fail, start over. You CAN achieve your goal!

If you want to sell your writing, consider taking a course. It’s money well spent!

Reading books is a great way to enhance your writing abilities. Try The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White. This small book, written in 1918, is as potent now as it was then. It discusses the fundamental rules of composition. On Writing by Stephen King, is another great one.

Chart out your weekly time schedule and see where you can fit writing in. Make it reasonable. It’s better to realistically say you’ll write twice a week for thirty minutes than to think you will live up to writing two hours a day. And as for that writing course we were talking about, check the comparison sheet below. Creative Writing Institute is a 501c3 Nonprofit charity that sponsors cancer patients and it is the only school that gives every student a private tutor:

Creative Writing Institute          Dynamic Non-Fiction           $200 (Pmnt. plan option)
The Writer’s Bureau           Nonfiction Writing course          $357
Writers.com          Creative Nonfiction and the Personal Essay          $340
Writer’s Digest University          Fundamentals of Nonfiction Writing $335
Gotham Writers Workshop          Nonfiction 101           $295

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE: http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com. Hey! “Like” us before you leave. Thanks!