More than Writers

Image Credits:  Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay images Firstly, may I wish you a Happy New Year and to say I hope your writing plans go well in 2025.   The New Year, and the period leading to it, is a time for reflection on the last twelve months and what we would like to see happen in the next twelve. That doesn’t just apply to our writing.    I think it is a good idea to take time out to evaluate where we are at writing wise and to work out what our next steps will be. Setting goals at all means you are more likely to achieve them even if you take baby steps. Those baby steps are not such a bad thing. Each step forward means progress. Little progresses mount up over time.   And noting that kind of progress (a story online here, a letter in print there, getting a piece of writing done ready for editing and all sorts of writing things) is a wonderful counter argument to the insidious whispers from whatever is responsible for Imposter Syndrome. So the ...

There was only one topic for this post given its timing. How can writers look ahead? Can you over-plan? Should you allow room for spontaneity? Answers on a postcard…  Seriously, there are ways writers can look ahead.   This kind of plan can help clear your thoughts. Pixabay image.   Yes, you can over-plan.  Yes, you should allow room for spontaneity. Does that sound like I’m trying to have my cake and eat it? Guilty. Why have cake if you’re not going to eat it? Using deadlines, such as the end of a year, to review what you've achieved and work out what you would like to achieve in the next 12 months is a good idea.  Pixabay image. Looking Ahead Think about where you would like your writing to be a year from now. Discard the dreams of winning the Booker. It’s unlikely. Look back at what you achieved with your writing in the past year.  Jotting down ideas of what you would like to achieve can help you make progress towards achieving them. Pixabay image. ...