So This is the New Year...
What kind of writer do you want to be in 2023? Plus, a free workshop, and the reassurance that ChatGPT can't do my job...yet.
I’m not proud to write this, but I’ve had a Death Cab for Cutie lyric in my head for the past few weeks: “So this is the New Year/I don’t feel any different.” After three years that have begun with a lot of uncertainty and pivoting, 2023 feels…calm for me. I can set my attention away from expecting and reacting to change and toward how how to think about sustainability.
What does this mean for your writing practice? Or, how do you think about the next 12 months (50.5ish weeks, 525,600 minutes…we’ve also been listening to the Rent soundtrack a lot around here). Instead of setting resolutions, here is a process that might help.
The Audit
The first thing that I did this year was make a list of everything that comes between me and writing, and then I coded the list like this:
Worth the tradeoff because it’s more urgent than writing (e.g. invoicing)
Worth the tradeoff because it’s more important than writing (hanging out with my family, reading fiction at night to reset my brain)
Annoying but difficult to outsource (dropping off/picking up kids, laundry)
None of the above (a volunteer job that was taking a lot of energy and causing a lot of stress).
So, to start the new year off right, I quit the volunteer job. I felt a sense of obligation to it, but it wasn’t sparking joy and it was taking up a lot of my mental space. I have been so relieved to have that off my plate it’s created lots of possibilities for new ways to spend my time.
To all of you, I highly recommend finding something that doesn’t serve your writing practice or your broader life goals, and then getting rid of it.
New Year, New Writing Persona
As you’re thinking about how to structure your writing process for the next year, I think there are three models you can use. If I were more inspired, I would make a Buzzfeed quiz, but instead I’ll let you read the categories.
Instead of (or in addition to) setting goals and resolutions, think of where you want to be as a writer at the end of this year. How do you want to feel about your writing going into 2024? What do you need to do to get there?
The Empath
When I was at a particularly uncertain moment in my life, my best friend gave me her well-worn copy of this book: You are a Badass. The book is all about how to manifest all of the amazing things you deserve in life because you are a badass. It’s vision-boarding with an edge.
If you’re feeling burned out by the past few years and are thinking about how to create a comfortable, safe place to write, spend some time envisioning where you want to be next year. Someone in our Slack group suggested a “gentle return” to writing, which I love - someone else suggested setting timers during busy days to pause and take a breath and reflect on gratitude.
My advice to empaths—make sure that you’re still getting your work into the world! Even as you’re focusing on creating environments instead of outcomes, the world deserves to read your brilliance, so make sure to click “submit” every once in awhile.
The Sprinter
2023 will hopefully see COVID be more manageable. There is no election. There is no World Cup. There’s just you, a massive to-do list, and a desire to get things done before global events throw a wrench in things once again.
Let’s go! Get yourself a calendar where you can look at all twelve months, get yourself some accountability buddies, set some goals in sharpie, scaffold back so that you set reachable goals for yourself, and set a momentum that works. We all know what it’s try to wade through quicksand in order to be productive over the past two years - now we are back on dry(ish) land, you can reach top speed and really get stuff done.
My advice to the sprinters—set up supports along the way. Reward yourself for time off. Realize that you need to breathe and take breaks from projects to make them better. Consider co-authoring or working with RAs or hiring a coach or an editor to help you make it through.
The Surfer
Life is complicated. Writing is part of that complication. This year, you’re going to fit writing into the flow, but you’re not going to let it take over your life. This means creating the conditions you need to thrive: surfers can’t surf when the ocean is calm, or when waves are too dangerous: they wait until the right time of day, with the right ocean conditions, and go all out (I’m reading Malibu Rising right now, hence the surfing metaphor).
As writers, this means saying no to things that don’t help life stay in balance. It means knowing there will be times when writing doesn’t get done, because the oceans are too still and making your peace with that. There will be other times when the waves break your way and you can get real momentum.
My advice to the surfers—there is work you can do to prepare yourself for success when the wave does come. Do that work (write outlines! do literature scans! go to workshops!). Even if you do catch some bad breaks, get back on the board and keep surfing. Give yourself time to reset and make commitments to following through, even if things get hard.
Methods That Can Help
Once you do an audit of your writing practices, get rid of anything that is neither urgent, nor important, nor bringing you joy, and you think about what kind of writer you want to be in the new year, the final step is assembling the tools that you need to help. Maybe this is a hype squad (your own personal Jamie Lee Curtis at the Golden Globes).
Maybe this is a writing coach or an editor. Maybe this is committing to a certain number of submission opportunities or conferences or workshops. Maybe this is committing to writing 5 hours a week, no matter what
It might be helpful to find support groups with people with all kinds of writing personas and accountability groups with people who have goals like you do.
Write With Me!
I’m excited to announce the first group writing opportunity for the year: February 27-March 10, we’ll write every day for 10 days. If you finished AcWriMo and felt it just wasn’t long enough, this is for you. If you sat out AcWriMo because who has time to actually write for a month anyway, this is also for you. Anyone can write for 10 days!
This will include a special accountability channel on the main Epilogue Editing Slack group, Zoom co-writing sessions, and probably some fun memes. And it’s free! Sign up here, and tell your friends. I’ll email more information out in February.
Happy New Year, friends! Whether you’re meditating, sprinting, or surfing, may the year bring you a success and joy.
Kelly
PS - I asked ChatGPT what it thought about sustainability and writing, and here’s what it told me. I’m not sure I’m quite out of a job, but once I asked it to add some dry humor to the essay, it did add the line “unless, of course, you’re a sociopath,” which made me laugh out loud.