Let’s be honest, I think I wanted this new year to begin more than I ever anticipated Christmas morning. Spent some time reading Jeff Goin’s 17 New Year’s Resolutions for Writers and while 17 is an entirely weird and unwieldy number for resolutions, let’s face it, number 12 is break a rule, so he is already ahead, right?

So most of these resolutions are already covered by my BHAG*, but there were a few new things to think about.

3. Write what scares you. There is something powerful about leaning into fear and doing the thing that petrifies you. Nothing stirs the emotions of a reader like writing “from the heart,” as they say. Don’t hold back now. This is the year where you show all your scars, and maybe people will thank you for it. Regardless, you will be sharing your truth and that is enough.

So this would be a challenge, mostly because I am afraid of everything, but then his example is Brennan Manning, whom I absolutely love. So, going to have to think about this one.

And then there is

13. Publish something. An eBook, a manifesto, a full-length book. If you’ve never put your work out into the world in the form of a publish book, it’s time. Nothing grows a writer like shipping. Yes, it’s hard and scary and you probably aren’t ready. But do it anyway. Enough with the works in progress and plans to publish “someday.” It’s time. You’ve got this.

Funny how it’s the two resolutions that end with 3 that call to me. But I do have plenty of almost done except for a copy edit or two book length things that I could put out as ebooks. I have something to show for 20 years of NanoWrimo so why not clean some up and just self publish? Besides, as I work on my story for this week, it is sinking in that I cannot possibly write a story a week and draft a novel. Not this early in the year. Maybe by June, when I am working half days and am firmly in the story writing groove, I can think about new novels. But 2021 is the Year of the Really Bad Short Story. That has been decided.

Small production report:

I am about halfway through this week’s story, at least by word count. I have two characters standing on a road in front of a cow pasture and someone just stopped to give them a ride. I have no idea who this driver is or where he came from. Just that he’s in Victoria, Texas in 1979 driving a 1968 El Camino.

I’m going to need a higher word count goal.

*Big Hairy Audacious Goal