Thoughts on Writing in the New Year
It’s New Year’s Eve and the road that is 2023 lies ahead, 52 weeks’ worth of blank pages waiting for you, the writer, to bring them to life. You have a vast array of options ahead of you. How will your writing shape the year to come?
Will you write with bold pen strokes, full of color, vibrant with confidence and certainty in your work? Or will you write tentatively and with hesitance, striving for perfection in the first draft?
“For success, attitude is equally as important as ability.” ~ Walter Scott
What's Stopping You?
“I’m not good enough,” you may think. Maybe you’ve been told you need countless hours of practice, a certain level of education, or the right people in your network before you start putting your work out there.
At the other end of the spectrum, I hear “I’m too old to start something new,” and “I wish I began ten years ago.” There’s a fallacy that once you reach ‘a certain age’ it’s too late for new ventures, as if society says jumping into writing is a young person’s game and your opportunity has passed.
The truth: Both sides of the age/experience continuum are filled with people wishing they were on the opposite side. Those is their 40’s, 50’s and beyond have valuable life experiences to share, yet they wish for the uncluttered canvas of a youthful perspective. Those in their teens and twenties wish they had the experience and wisdom that comes from living life and some worry they have nothing to add to the conversation.
Here's the secret…
If you’re waiting for the perfect time, when everything in the universe aligns exactly as you’d like it to, it’s not going to happen. There will always (and I mean always) be some reason you can find to explain why now isn’t your time. The dog is sick, the kids are too young, the day job is too demanding, you’ve got to binge watch the latest season of What-ever-it-is.
The Time Is Now
What will you write in 2023? It’s a new year - no time like the present to start. Maybe you want to:
Write a book
Begin a blog
Learn copywriting
Write articles
Publish your poetry
The possibilities are endless, and you get to map your direction. No matter how old or how young you are there’s only one thing that you must do…
And that is to start.
Start where you are, with the knowledge and life experience you have today. There will always be someone who knows more than you, who has more experience, or a bigger network. There will always be people with tons of youthful exuberance or who have the wisdom of certain life experiences. You get to be a light to an audience that resonates with your work from where you stand today.
“Your big opportunity may be right where you are now.” ~ Napoleon Hill
No matter where you begin, there’s an audience seeking your content. You don’t need to know everything. You have all the knowledge you need to connect with someone, somewhere. We all move through life at our own pace and everyone is at their own level. Your experiences and knowledge are far more valuable than you realize.
Take the First Step
If you don't know where to begin, try using the following steps to help jumpstart your writing:
Understand your writing goals: What do you want to accomplish with your writing in the next 52 weeks? Visualize your accomplishments as you arrive at December 31, 2023.
What has your writing practice been like over the course of the year?
Who is your audience? How has your audience grown?
Looking back on the year, what big writing goals have you accomplished?
What specific steps did you take to reach your writing goals?
Put your writing goals into writing: Post-It Notes are an awesome tool. Put your daily writing goals on one of these, and stick them where you can see them throughout the day. In the car, on your bathroom mirror, stick one on the refrigerator, or by your bedside.
Use the first days of the new year to take an inventory of your goals and accomplishments. Review your 2022 accomplishments and your starting point in 2023. From there, plot a course for your writing goals in 2023. A few things to focus on to help get you started:
Understand what worked and didn’t work in 2022. Where did your writing get blocked? What went well? What would you like to start, stop and continue for the upcoming year?
What is your writer’s mission in 2023? Do you want to entertain, inform, provoke thought? Is there a niche or area of expertise you want to be known for?
Create a monthly content plan. Block one to two hours of time at the beginning of each month to plan your writing topics, how much time you will dedicate to writing and where you and with what frequency you will publish or share your work.
Make accountability your friend. Share your writing goals with a friend or family member, someone willing to be an accountability buddy, who can help you stay on track. Celebrate your victories with your accountability buddy and ask them to help keep you on track by checking in with you.
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” ~ Arthur Ashe
Keep sight of the moment:
The new year is here - No matter what happens in the next 12 months, you will still be 12 months older than you are today.
The time is now - Time marches relentlessly on and it doesn't pause while you wait to act on your goals.
Begin where you are – Start now with what you have today. Perfection is not required. You are good enough: right here, right now.
In the blink of an eye, you will arrive at the end of 2023. Between now and then, you have a fantastic opportunity to create a collection of work that reflects your journey as a writer.
The time is now - jump in, write from the heart and embrace the year ahead.
