By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin
We are nearing the end of 2020
and what a strange year on many fronts. I will be glad to turn the calendar page
for 2021. As a writer, what I like to do is think about the year ahead and make
plans. Years ago I used to make resolutions but most of them were broken before
we reached February. Now I make resolutions which I can keep.
Do you make New Year’s
Resolutions? If you are like me, you have goals, dreams and plans for the New
Year. I encourage you to write down these resolutions or plans or goals. You
want to make them specific actions so you can hold yourself (or your partner can
hold you) accountable to carry them out.
Over 25 years ago in 11
days I wrote a diet book by Carole Lewis called First Place. I took
such a crazy writing deadline because the publisher was determined to have the
book inside the bookstores for January. If you look at bestseller lists, often
in January there will be several diet books about losing weight. In our
overweight society, many people resolve to lose some pounds in the New Year.
They begin with such great resolve and commitment.
To become a proactive author, I
want to suggest several resolutions or goals that you can keep throughout the
months ahead. I encourage you to use these ideas to create your own goals. Make
sure you make each one specific, measurable and action oriented.
1. Plan to consistently
talk with others about your books or products. As the author, you
should take the primary responsibility to market and tell other people about
your books. There are dozens of tools and ways to do it. Your method should be a
way that serves other people (helps them) and doesn’t pound them with “buy me”
messages. The “buy me” message is a turn off and the service to others is an
attraction. Can you take your book and create a teleseminar or take chapters
from your book and turn them into magazine articles or blog posts?
2. Resolve to
Persevere. Are you trying to publish something which is getting
rejected? You are in good company. Just check out this article from bestselling
novelist James Scott Bell called Rejecting
Rejection. Possibly you have not made the right connection to get your work
published. Are you consistently submitting your work? Often when I ask writers
about this detail, I find they haven’t been consistently working on getting
their book pitch to the right editor at the right time and the right place. I
don’t believe that I’m a great writer. I work hard at improving my storytelling
and writing—yet I am persistent and preserve. I’m determined to a fault. Nurture
this quality in your own life in the weeks and months ahead.
3. Resolve to take better
care of yourself. Over the last few years, I’ve worked hard at getting
more consistent sleep, taking a daily multiple vitamins and a commitment to
regular exercise. Also I attempt to watch my weight and eating patterns to be in
balance. Am I perfect? No, but I continue to consistently work at these elements
and build regular patterns into my life. With a pandemic this year, my weight
increased but several months ago my wife and I began changing our eating
patterns and working on weight loss. Currently I'm at my lowest weight in over
20 years and my blood pressure has lowered and other health benefits. It's all
part of my resolution to take better care of myself and something I encourage
you to do too. Your goal will be different for your lifestyle and situation but
do consider this area of your life.
4. Resolve to learn a new
skill then practice it repeatedly. Maybe you want to develop your
storytelling skills. Or maybe you can learn from a how-to book or take an online
training. I use all of these methods to keep growing in my abilities and skills.
5. Resolve to do more
writing. It takes more than a resolution to increase your writing.
You need a plan. Do it consistently and set a reasonable word count then do it
day after day. No little elves come out and write your words. You have to sit in
your chair, get your fingers moving on the keyboard and do it.
6. Resolve to do more
reading. Writers are readers. Read widely and varied types of books. I
read but also learn from listening to audiobooks.
I’m expecting great things will
happen in the coming months. How about you? Are you setting goals and moving in
this direction? Take action today. As you look at the new year, are you creating
resolutions you can keep? Let me know in the comments
below.
Tweetable:
W. Terry Whalin is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. His work contact information is on the bottom of the second page (follow this link). He has written for over 50 magazines and more than 60 books with traditional publishers. His latest book for writers is 10 Publishing Myths, Insights Every Author Needs to Succeed. Get this book for only $10 + free shipping and over $200 in bonuses. One of Terry's most popular free ebooks is Straight Talk From the Editor, 18 Keys to a Rejection-Proof Submission. He lives in Colorado and has 190,000 twitter followers.
