Last night, I tossed and turned fitfully before succumbing to insomnia. Even though the rain typically produces a lulling melody that makes sleep come easy, I was too excited and in a state of agitation and worry. Finally, I got up and headed for the word processor.
First, the excitement. Recently Dorlana Vann of Humble Fiction Café gave an informative presentation on pacing and tension, and I am delighted to be reading a book that vividly reflects those teachings. More on the book in a review once it's finished.
Through Dorlana's lesson, I realized how important constant tension is to the overall enjoyment of a book. The writer not only has to make the reader care about the character and what happens to him or her, but be concerned about what happens next. When the character has overcome one challenge, the next adversity must already be set up. The presentation was very insightful.
As far as the agitation and worry, I love to blog, but of recent, my blog postings have fallen off in frequency. Partly due to my incredibly busy life, but I also wonder where to go with the blog. I feel like it's time to notch it up a bit, take it to the next level, but how and what is that?
And if it isn't enough that I've let my blogging posts fall off, I have been equally remiss in setting aside sufficient writing time for my novel. Oh, I'm working on it. Slowly. I complain about not having the time to work on the novel, yet I realize we all have the same amount of time – 24 hours each day. What we do with that time is what counts. My fault is in not making writing a higher priority.
In a nutshell, my worries stem around writing and the goals I've set for myself for this year.
I may or may not do a facelift on the blog. It hasn't been so long ago that I gave the blog a new look, but I am thinking about exploring a three-column layout. The reason is so that I can post my 2009 writing goals in plain view as a continual reminder of the things I hope to accomplish this year, and for my readers to hold me accountable. I want people to ask how the novel is progressing and keep me to task.
How are you doing with your goals for this year?
Do you think it is helpful to have your goals in front of you on a constant basis?
Is it helpful for others to know your goals?
This is a great time of year for reflection and contemplation – reflection on the year in closing, and thoughtful anticipation of the New Year. It's a time for counting your blessings, and making plans for a brighter tomorrow. A time steeped in tradition.
What are some of those traditions? It is tradition for many to spend New Year's Eve in celebration. In New England, revelers partake in First Night Fests that include parades, music, and cultural activities. Everyone knows of the ball drop in New York City. In the Houston suburbs, celebrants bring in the New Year with booming fireworks displays.
For others, the tradition falls mainly on New Year's Day itself. Superstitions abound, and many folks, self-included, feel New Year's Day sets the stage for the incoming year (see my post from last year here). There are traditional foods shared both New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, some believed to bring about good luck or good fortune.
Probably the most well known tradition is that of making New Year's resolutions. Almost everyone has made resolutions at some point or another. The desire to make the incoming year better than the one ending is powerful, and people resolve to change many things. To eat better, lose weight, exercise more, spend less, save more, etc. Typically, the resolve is strong in the beginning, but tends to wane over time. That is why you will see a surge of activity at the health club come January, but it fairly quickly dies down.
One way to make your resolve passionate and help you to keep that resolution is to write it down and post it prominently. Not just where you can see it every day, but where the rest of your family can as well, maybe even friends.
In keeping with tradition, I have made a few writerly resolutions that I would like to post here and share. I give everyone full permission to frequently remind me of these resolutions, check in and ask how I'm doing, and otherwise keep me honest and working towards them. I also invite you to share your resolutions, and feel free to add your thoughts in the comments.
Sheryl's 2009 Resolutions and Goals
Signing off for 2008, I wish everyone a very happy and prosperous New Year!
The New Year's holiday has always held special meaning for me. Steeped in tradition, in contemplation and hope, I've always held the belief that New Year's Day sets the tone for the upcoming year. Gads, I may be in trouble this year. It's still early, so certainly no need to despair, but I think I'd better eat lots of black-eyed peas and cabbage, you know the good luck foods that require immense creativity to make palatable.
Let me explain how my New Year's Day began. My dog, yes, faithful companion and best friend of man, started out the New Year on the wrong note. A lovely dog by all means, an Australian Shepherd breed, he is the biggest extrovert of a dog you would ever hope to meet. He can't bear to be alone for even a minute. When he is alone, he gets mad. And then he gets even by hiking his leg and marking his spot, usually on the nearest and most available house plant.
We learned early on that to correct this "situation" we shut the dog and his loving sister, the cat, in the laundry room together when we are about to leave the house. It has worked beautifully! The cat and dog have further bonded, and the dog, God bless his heart, hasn't peed on anything in the laundry room. Of course, we don't have any house plants in the laundry room either.
As you may already know, at midnight in Texas on New Year's Eve, the loudest and brightest fireworks spew across the skies. I went outside to share in the excitement last night with my husband in tow. Oooh. Aaah. We marveled at the brightly lit sky. We wished our daughters a happy New Year, and then quickly returned back to the warmth inside. Last night was cold, even by New England standards.
Five minutes, tops. That's how long we might have been outside at the maximum. And neither of us gave thought to locking the dog (and cat) in their chambers while we walked outside for just a minute. Big mistake. He showed us. Oh the agony of starting the year cleaning dog spray, aka urine, from the carpet. My husband is so mad at the dog; he hasn't yet said a word to him! Let's hope this isn't a reflection of the year ahead.
All that being said, I still have a full day in front of me. And on a positive note (I do like to end on a positive note), I spent the first hour of my day writing. Let's hope this IS a reflection of the year ahead!
Here's wishing you a Happy New Year! May all your resolutions hold true, and may all your blank pages be filled with interesting muse, engaging stories, fascinating description, and proverbial good words!
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