It is such a disheartening situation for writers when they find themselves dragging their feet across the floor, slumping on a chair and ultimately finding it impossible to put pen to paper. But there’s no reason to wallow in this situation. The New Year brings promise to many—a chance to start fresh and the motivation bubbling up inside to finally cross off those age-old resolutions, which of course turns into a running gag every year. Maybe having a resolution isn’t such a bad thing. It’s all in your mind really; and the mind is a writer’s most powerful gift. Feel that annoying creative disability caused by writer’s block? Put your creative noodle to the test with eleven resolutions that can help you pummel that block right down. Here are 11 new year resolutions for writers.
- Start writing
One sure-fire way to break the block is to simply start writing. You don’t have to think about the style, genre or type of literature. Just put pen to paper and scribble words as they come to you. Procrastination will be your biggest hurdle here as you may find yourself saying too much of the sentence, “I’ll start tomorrow”. An excellent way to begin is to isolate yourself from technology and go back to the old ways of using your hand to write. Pick a soothing atmosphere, preferably a park or an open balcony as your place to begin, and if you need a little kick-start, a good cup of coffee will do the trick.
- Exercise
Exercising is probably on everyone’s list of resolutions, and as a writer, it must be on yours. You don’t need to go deep into the aspects of body and mind science to understand the link exercise has with your nervous system. All you need to get is your blood flowing, and a rush of blood to the head is what every writer needs. If you are not much of a fitness freak, opt for long walks. A couple of strides around your locality or simply moving to and fro inside the walls of your home can help put things into perspective.
- Explore various genres and styles
Their style of writing identifies good writers, but that doesn’t mean it developed for them in an instant. It’s important to explore various styles of writing to see which ones you are strong at. Once you’ve settled on a style, move on to figuring out the genre. Choosing a genre should be fairly easy as most writers take it from their life experience. Try to relive some of your life altering moments and pen them down in style you chose.
- Write outside your comfort zone
Sometimes, getting too comfortable with your adopted writing style and genre can have negative outcomes on your creative output. When you write what you fear the most, you will come out with some interesting pieces of work that will not only read well but also read true.That’s what readers love; an author who can speak from his/her heart and be honest with words.
- Start a blog
If writing a novel is proving quite a challenge for you, you can choose to start a blog instead. Blogs are fairly easier to maintain and best of all is a free source of publicity provided you are social media savvy. Blogs give a chance to express your opinion and connect with people who share the same or varying opinionson your chosen topic. If you’ve been consistent withyour posts, you will soon have more than enough material to convert your blog into a book.
- Try your hand in self-publishing
Self-publishing is a growing market and one that many contemporary authors are opting for in recent times. If you are the impatient sort who strongly desires to get your work read as soon as it is done, then self-publishing is a good option. It is no easy feat though and requires a meticulous amount of research and confidence. If your book hits big, the benefits are many; if not, don’t sweat it all on your own.Look for happy helpers who will do it for you.
- Join a club
A very useful way to generate some food for thought is by joining a club. It works both ways too; if you need inspiration for your next novel, brainstorming with a bunch of fellow writers can do the trick and if you are looking to establish a strong fan following for your novel, promoting your work at book clubs is the easiest option.
- Partner up
Ever heard of the famous quote, “good things come in pairs”?The quote holds true for writers as well. The most recent and worthy example is Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which was written by two authors under the guidance of J. K. Rowling and it turned out to be quite enjoyable offering a different story arch with the scriptwriting style. If you need a little push to start a word or two, pairing up with a fellow writer can be beneficial for the both of you. A book format that requires this pairing of multiple authors is an Anthology, a format that you could consider starting with for the New Year.
- Read more
We’re not just talking about expanding your reading list, but widening your expertise on the various genres and styles adopted by other authors. Also, look at reading various book formats that can help enhance your vocabulary and approach to writing that can click with your target audience.
- Set a time frame
A lot of famous authors don’t just sit down whenever they please and begin to write. Adopting a time frame will help you get more organised and strengthen your will to write better. Stephen King, the world-renowned author of horror fiction, has stressed the importance of a routine every writer should make and follow. He sits down every day for four to six ours and doesn’t finish till he reaches a quota of two thousand words.
- Rinse and repeat
There is no such thing as a perfect novel. Editing and rewriting is a vital stage post completion of your book. If you consider your work to be the best you’ve come out with, know that you can always do better. Even after completing your first novel, revisit every letter of every word on every page and do a deep scanning for areas you feel at that instant could be made better.
Remember, you don’t have to scurry through and make sure you tick off every resolution mentioned here. Maybe there are a few in this list you haven’t fulfilled yet, so focus on those and do it at a comfortable pace. The best books take years to complete and since you have a whole year ahead of you, make the most out of it.