It may only be 28th December 2020, and 2021 may not actually start for another four days. And the official Week One of the 2021 calendar may not be until 4th January… But I’m starting my new writing year today!

 

I closed off most of my ongoing projects before Christmas and had a few days off from writing. But I have eight days left before I have to go back to work and I want to make the most of them. My 2021 UWR writing diary arrived a while ago, and I’ve already set my goals for the year. So why not take advantage of my remaining time off and start working on them now?

 

I’m keeping my usual weekly schedule from 2020 – writing on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. I’ve got UWR online retreat sessions to help me twice a week, and my regular focus session with Claire from CP’s Day Off as well. I want to start trying to do longer sessions, so I’m going to start slow, by intending to log on to the Monday UWR facebook group in the morning and the afternoon, and see how that goes.

 

I’ve also got my mindset journal from TINACAW, which I started this morning and I’m hoping will help keep me in the right frame of mind. Not to mention, I’ve signed up for CP’s accountability sessions for nine months – if she can’t keep me on track, nothing will!

 

My actual goals are fairly simple. I want to do another draft of the second novel and then final polishing, with a view to submitting it to my publisher in the summer. I want to plan out the third novel and hopefully complete a first draft in the last quarter of the year, before sending it to my editor for a developmental edit. And I want to keep my hand in on short stories as and when I can, focusing only on the most interesting and most doable submission opportunities that come my way throughout the year.

 

I’m taking it reasonably slow, setting myself targets but keeping them small and flexible. I’ve broken the bigger stuff down into manageable chunks and I’m just going to work through one step at a time. All progress is good progress – and if I can keep making progress week by week, I’ll be happy.

 

My theme for the year is positive choice – finding positive reasons for the choices I make and the things I choose to spend my time on. So, I’m going to utilise my inner mentor to remind me why I want to write and to help me find the joy in the process. I’m going to utilise my subconscious crew to help me get past any obstacles that crop up. And sometimes, I’m going to make a positive choice to set my writing aside and enjoy some rest and relaxation without feeling as if I’m failing to achieve.

 

So, here’s to a great year of writing, with a positive mindset and a joyful approach, supported by excellent external and internal systems.