I like making New Years resolutions. I’m not sure I always stick to them but they’re fun to think of because it’s a time to truly put yourself before the microscope and be honest in what you want to succeed in the coming year. Which is often tantamount to admitting what you felt failed in the previous year dwindling away.
I always make a few resolutions – they are usually writing based – and maybe even I’ll keep to them. Here we go:
1. Read The SIMONSOMNIBUS
I’ve had this Walk Simonson The Mighty Thor omnibus for about half a year now. It’s time for me to wipe this sucker clean. I plan on annotating my thoughts and maybe posting on TWC so hopefully that will motivate me to get this done. Having the first month of the year off work will also aid this cause.
I see this resolution as also standing for the fact I just need to cut into my read pile in general. It has to happen. I know I spend a lot of time writing but I also spend a lot of time in front of the computer waiting for something to happen. I can turn that into time away from the computer – which I also plan to do more. More notes in books. More pen and paper. Less multitasking and more focusing on one job and kicking its ass.
I guess when I think SIMONSOMNIBUS I’ll actually be thinking about reading down time and productivity when on the job.
2. Ride My Bike
I don’t live that far away from work. I can ride my bike there. I spend about 3 years at my last school riding to work every day. The weather didn’t even change my mind. I rode no matter what. It was a mindset thing and my mindset now is that I have a baby, and my wife needs me home quicker to help her or give her a break, and I’m just too busy to waste time riding the roads when I could be zooming along them in my automobile.
Those thoughts stop now because riding my bike is better on my cardio fitness level, it’s better for my health (both physical and mental), it’s better on the environment, and it’s better on my wallet. There are so many positives, plus I can listen to podcasts on the trip which will be nice. Though, don’t worry, I only use one earbud so my cloer to the road ear can sense any oncoming traffic.
We just invested in a baby seat for my bike, so I’ll warm up with the little man in the back and then once school lets back in I want to be riding at least 4 days a week. Except once winter hits – winter here is brutal and I refuse to prove any points at the loss of my protruding extremities.
3. Smile and Hug More
I love positive people. I am a positive person. I just need to show it more. It’s be all pearly whites and touchy feely from me from here on out.
4. No Phone With The Family
My phone can do anything for me. I can check email, tweet, converse with the world, and make notes for stories. The problem is, I use my phone for these things and it makes me a little absent at home. I’m not so important nor busy that I can’t just shut it away for a few hours in a row.
The new rule will be once I get home and am with the family the phone goes in the drawer for the afternoon. I can crack it open once everyone else is in bed and I’m working. I figure only doing this a few times will build the willpower and after a week I won’t even miss it. You just have to be hard with these addictions and I know I can be.
This one also just means maybe cutting down on my ALT-TAB ways. I know I’ve said before it kind of helps give me an ADHD break in the writing but I find sometimes I ALT-TAB in the middle of a sentence even when I didn’t need a pause and knew exactly how to finish it. I’m going to think about implementing the old ‘check your email like your post box’ rule (twice a day). Maybe not twice, you do that and emails build up and suddenly you spend hour chuncks answering these things when you can put out these fires on the fly, but I don’t think I’ll leave the damn Gmail open. I’ll close it away and check it on the hour, or something like that. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, this is the next step, the first is pack the phone away. Stop pressuring me.
5. Text Family More
In saying all this, I actually am busy and don’t have a lot of time. I don’t have an hour to chat with you about stuff all the time. My time is precious and when it is spare I want to write (or maybe read – see No 1) or maybe just spend it with my gorgeous wife, or teaching my kid how to take over the world some day, or hanging with mates.
I might not have the time to call but I can text, surely. I figure if I text my mother twice a week that’ll keep me out of trouble. I can text other family members once a week, or so. It’s the least I can do, right? My nephew just got a phone, I know he’d be stoked to get texts from me. I should brighten his day every once in a while.
Oh, but on that phone thing, I actually do like phone calls, just usually while I’m doing something else – walking, garden stuff, laundry. I’m not a sit down and yap guy, I believe in using all time thricefold.
6. Writing
As far as my writing goes, there’s not much I want to change. I feel like I’m on my way and just need to keep things going. Maybe my resolution should be to:
Not Lose My Way
I have a stack of pitches just about ready to fly out the door. I have a podcast that motivates me constantly. I have a paying review gig I enjoy. I have a book I’m prepping, and short stories already lined up for other books. I’m on my way and I need to use this energy. All of it.
Oh, but I want to add this one as a challenge:
7. Work On A Novel
I’ve already actually written four of the bloody things. I need to pick one and reread it, edit it a little, and work out what to do with it. I still love these stories, and want to shop them around some more, so I’m going to see if I can find time for them.
I guess I should look at my writing priorities for 2012. Here goes:
Daredevil Book – edit my essays, edit others as they come in.
Comic Pitches x 3 – work them hard.
Comic Pitches x 3 – get them up to the point to work them hard.
CBR Reviews – stay on top of them and appreciate them.
thoughtballoons – enjoy going into the third year of this awesome site.
Novel – make the choice and do some work on one. Seriously.
Alright, that’s my view on 2012 before the first day has quite dawned. It’s going to be a hell of a year. What are your predictions and how are you going to make 2012 your submissive little mistress?
Posted on December 31st, 2011 by ryan
Filed under: life, Writing | 1 Comment »
