My Writing Resolutions - Celia Rees

New Year is the time for Resolutions, or Intentions, or Affirmations, or whatever you want to call them. This is my first post of the New Year, so I'm going to share some of mine. They are not in any particular order and they are all to do with writing.

I'm not going to make up rules that I know I will break. so...

Resolution #1:  I'm not going to make up Rules. 

I'm not going to feel guilty about 'wasting time'. One of the joys of writing is the stuff around it, the research, ideas gathering. I don't mean sitting in libraries but visiting places, taking photographs, collecting stuff, going to museums, exhibitions. If I want to spend all afternoon making a scrapbook of the Work In Progress, I will do that. The book never leaves you. It's in your mind all the time. Sometimes going for a walk, going shopping, going to your pilates class, yoga class, having a coffee, going for a swim frees you to think in ways that staring at a screen can never do. So...

Resolution #2: I'm going to remind myself that writing doesn't only take place when you'r sitting at your desk. 

I'm banishing what a writer friend calls the Imp of Self Doubt. A pesky little creature and most of us know him. He's our Familiar. He whispers, or hisses (mine hisses) in your ear all the time you are writing: that's no good that's rubbish that is you can't write call yourself a writer you're no good if you were any good you'd have won the costa the carnegie sold shed loads of books but you haven't have you And on and on, like tinnitus. So:

Resolution #3: I'm telling the Imp of Self Doubt to:  SHUT UP!

His chatter drowns out the calmer, cooler, creative voice that is always there to quietly offer solutions, come up with ideas, find ways through.

 Resolution #4: I’m re- tuning  to a different frequency.

When I'm writing, I'm just going to write. Focus my full attention on the task in hand, words on the page, the character who’s not quite working, how the plot is developing. 

Resolution #5: I'm banishing extraneous thoughts. At the best, they are Irrelevant and distracting; at worst, incredibly destructive and emotionally exhausting. 

After years of pontificating about and not doing it... 

Resolution #6: I am going to keep a journal. 

Well, two actually. A small notebook where I record the day to day. Not word counts but my responses to writing - good and bad. Not just what I feel but why I feel like that. I have also bought a lovely, lovely leather bound notebook for more serious journaling which I intend to do every day now. So...

Resolution #7: I'm not going to feel guilty about stationery. 

But I will use my stockpile of notebooks instead of buying new ones all the time. 

Resolution #8: I'm going to set boundaries to protect my writing time - and stick to them.

Which means I have to learn not to say 'yes' to everything, to say 'no' to time eaters, doing favours, social media, gigs I don't want to do or won't pay me (enough). I will also be careful not to allow my domestic life to erode my writing time. 

Will it work? I'll tell next January...

Celia Rees
www.celiarees.com