A new year, new goals

"We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives...not looking for flaws, but for potential." Ellen Goodman (Boston Globe writer)

I saw this quote this week and it gave me pause. Like most folks, I’d given myself a thoughtful critique, made a few resolutions for 2008, both personally and professionally, and most with an eye for how to get better, do better, be better, etc. Ellen Goodman’s quote caused me to re-think those resolutions and goals and revamp them in a more positive light or to create a few new ones based on the capabilities I have, and the attributes I possess (or at least I THINK I possess them!), particularly my goals as a writer this year.

I have many goals for my writing this year and I’ll list them here for posterity. Right now, no one sees this blog except me, but putting them in writing out on the net for anyone to be able to stumble upon gives them significance and a permanency that will keep me on the right path. (Yes, I know they aren’t actually permanent as I can erase and change them at any time…but don’t burst my bubble!)

1. Read, research, and learn from books, articles, websites, and blogs about writing, writing opportunities, and writing career options.
2. Continue writing on a regular basis and expand my writing horizons with genres, voices, and styles that are different than my comfortable norm.
3. Continue adding to my expanding “List of Interesting Words to Use in My Writing” list. I’m a fan of new, different and/or interesting words and am always on the lookout for one to add to the list.
4. Learn the very necessary skill of revising, putting aside, revising, putting aside and revising.
5. Be a writer. I don’t have to wait to actually have the degree in hand to be a writer. I am a writer now and I’ll be a writer next week…and next month. I’ll just be a better writer then.
6. Enjoy my life...all parts of it.

Happy New Year to anyone who stumbles in. I hope the quote above is beneficial to you also.

Debbie