As I continue to reflect on what my 2015 writing resolutions will be, I am drawn into investigating my writing past. The hope is that I will better understand my writing present and my writing future.
My writing career began in a newsroom. Being a newspaper reporter demands certain disciplines, and I believed I was born for the profession.
- I was addicted to discovering my next story and uncovering its truths. A story could be anywhere, and usually, it was. Just cruising the backroads of southcentral Ohio proved that to me.
- I lived my life according to daily deadlines. Long-term anything tended to sap the energy right out of my writing (probably why I have only published one book and struggle with publishing another). My personal goal was to write as much copy as possible to prevent myself from sinking into a writer’s stupor and dying of boredom.
- People and their drama. I lived for it and made a living out of it. I didn’t need TV–real life was entertaining enough.
- And of course, the byline. That tiny piece of font that stated my name. Yes, I liked seeing my name.
So as I continue reflecting on who I was a writer, I can determine that to set successful writing goals I need:
- To have short-term deadlines. A yearlong goal has been proven unhelpful.
- To discover two or three intriguing, dramatic stories to tell and build my books around them. These can be fiction or nonfiction.
- To get my name out there. I likely will enter two or three writing contests.
Upon approaching the halfway point of the month, I feel optimistic that my writer soul-searching will generate writing resolutions that will give me published results.