7 Realistic New Year’s Resolutions for Writers

Hello and welcome back to the blog! Sorry it’s been a while, I got sick for a couple weeks and then it was Christmas. I’m back now and ready for 2023!

Have you ever made New Year’s resolutions?

I make unofficial goals and resolutions every year.

For the most part, I know what I’m actually capable of. But every year, I set at least one goal for myself that’s way too far out of my reach. I start working on it in January, and within a month or two, I’ve forgotten about it.

Can you relate?

As writers, we tend to make two types of resolutions:

• “I will write 100,000 words, publish two novels, and build a huge fanbase for my books this year”
• Or, “I will write at least one page this year and try not to cry while doing so”

Now, maybe you are a writing superstar and you can crank out 100,000 words in a year. But that just won’t happen for most of us.

I’m not a fast writer. One of my resolutions in 2022 was to finish draft 2 of my current novel.

It’s only 70,000 words. Surely I could get through one round of edits in 12 months.

Right?

Even though I know that I’m a slow writer, I still made that resolution, in an attempt to push myself.

Do I feel bad about “failing” one of my goals for this year? Yes.
Did the new year’s resolution still help me get some writing done? Absolutely.

The thing is, as a community, we need to get better at setting realistic goals for ourselves.

It’s important to find goals that stretch us, without giving ourselves a mental breakdown (or quitting all of our resolutions in March).

No Word Count Resolutions

I know a lot of writers set goals for their word counts. “I will write 500 words every day this year,” or “I will write 50,000 words this year.”

We’re all stuck in NaNoWriMo mode, which is good for one month, but not very sustainable for a year-long goal.

When all you focus on is your word count, you can easily lose track of your improvement. You can get so focused on hitting a certain number of words, you won’t be as focused on improving your craft or taking care of yourself.

So how do we find goals that will stretch our abilities, without hyper-focusing on the numbers?

Here are 7 ideas for writing resolutions, that are actually realistic. And none of them are focused on your word counts.

1. Refill Your Creative Well

As a writer, it can be so easy to focus all our energy on writing.

We set goals about our word counts, or our current projects. We even set goals to write every single day for a certain amount of time.

How about setting a goal to refresh your creative side?

Take some time in 2023 to consume content. Read books, draw pictures, watch movies and TV shows. Listen to new music. Read comic books and graphic novels and manga.

It’s important to keep creating. Just remember to take some time to be inspired. Give yourself permission to enjoy other people’s content, and be inspired by it.

2. Create Digital Backups of Your Work

If you’ve been writing for a while, it might be time to back up your writing online.

Personally, I’ve used Google Drive for the last few years, and I love it. I can access my stories from any device with a WiFi connection, and everything is in one place.

However, before high school, I did most of my writing by hand, with a pen and paper. And I’m pretty scared about losing those old notebooks, because they’re so important to me.

Creating digital backups for your writing is a very good resolution that a lot of people forget about. You can either type all your handwritten stories into a document, or pay for an app like Pen to Print, which will convert your handwriting to text.

(Not sponsored, I haven’t used Pen to Print yet so I don’t know exactly how it works, but I’ve heard great reviews and I’m hoping to use their app in 2023.)

EDIT: As of 2023, I started using Pen to Print, and it works really well! Here’s my review of the app: Pen to Print App for Writers: My Review

3. Write Something in a Different Format or Genre

Whether you like screenwriting, playwriting, novel writing, or poetry, most writers tend to get comfortable with a certain format.

And within that format, you probably have a favorite genre. For example, you like writing rom-com screenplays, or horror novels.

This year, try to create one small project that’s in a completely different style.

If you write thought-provoking poetry, try writing a short story about aliens. If you only write fantasy novels, write a ten minute play set in the 1800s.

Mix it up and have fun with it! You might find that you love this new genre.

Even if it’s not your thing, you’ll get out of your comfort zone and try something new and exciting.

4. Join a Writer’s Group

Depending on where you live, your city’s public library might have a writer’s group. Or you can find writing forums and critique groups online.

This one might take some searching, and you might have to join several groups before you find one that you really like. (And of course, you always have to be careful meeting people online.)

However, once you find a group of writers, that can be an amazing source of encouragement and advice along your writing journey.

Remember, paid organizations like SCBWI might host groups in your area, and November is a great time to connect with NaNoWriMo groups. They may not meet year round, but you can still meet some cool people and have a great time writing together.

5. Attend a Writing Conference

And don’t spend the whole time trying to sell your book.

Go and learn. Spend time on your writing. Meet some people who work in the industry. Have fun.

If you’re not sure where to start, take a look at some of the conferences by Writer’s Digest. They’re usually located in big cities, so you may have to travel.

Some writer’s groups also offer virtual conferences. It won’t be quite the same experience, but it can still be very useful.

6. Set Up a Nice Writing Space

You will enjoy writing much more if you have a nice space to write in.

This year, why not create a nice writing nook for yourself?

Make sure you have a comfortable chair and a good source of light, so you don’t strain your eyes. Other than that, make it your own. Decorate it, hang posters or fairy lights, and make it nice and inviting.

Once you have a nice writing space, you can start to associate that space with writing. If it’s comfortable, you’ll have more fun when you sit down to write.

7. Enter a Writing Contest

Last but not least, one of the best new year’s resolutions for writers is to enter a writing contest.

You can learn a lot from entering writing contests. Plus, there are a lot of free writing contests out there, so really, you have nothing to lose.

There are plenty of poetry and flash fiction contests out there, so you can write your entry in less than a week.

Also, there’s nothing quite like the thrill of winning a writing contest. I highly recommend submitting your work to some writing contests in 2023.

---

Well folks, that’s it for my list of non-word count New Year’s resolutions for writers.

What do you think? Will you be making New Year’s resolutions this year? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading, and as always, I’ll see you next time with a new post!