2016 December Writing Challenge Wrap Up

Today is the final day of this year’s December Writing Challenge. How did you do? Did you write every day? Make progess on our current project? Start something new? Maybe experiment a bit? At the very least, I hope you set up some good habits for the year ahead.

Many writers have successful careers without producing material daily, but regardless of your writing schedule, creativity is a muscle that must be exercised regularly. Train your brain to produce on demand and you will find the ideas flow much more easily than if you attempt to write merely when the whim strikes you. If you’re just starting out, you’ll develop good habits that will help you continue to write under deadline or when you’re traveling or when your day job rears its head and demands your attention. If you’ve already been at this a while, you probably realize that writing can be more of a challenge if you fall out of the habit of sitting down and tackling the work in a set rhythm.

Regardless of your progress this month, I hope you’re heading into the new year with some wonderful ideas and plans to write, and that you make excellent headway with all your goals for 2017. Wishing you a wonderful New Year’s Eve! Stay safe and enjoy.

Last Day of the Year

Happy New Year’s Eve! I don’t mind saying that 2013 has been a challenging year. I dubbed it bipolar early on and it never proved me wrong; most everything seemed to go either really well or really badly, with no noticeable middle ground. So I’m excited for 2014 and its fresh perspective, and a chance to tackle some new projects.

How has your writing year gone for you? Did you reach any new milestones? Discover your voice? Make a breakthrough? Or did you find this a year of challenges as well? Whatever your answer, today is the perfect time to give the past 364 days a good, hard look and determine what you’d like to do differently going forward. Write more, read more, submit more…. and of course lose that five pounds you picked up courtesy of holiday treats.

For those of you participating in my December Writing Challenge, you should have a month of writing, more or less, under your belts, and a great new daily writing habit. Don’t forget to keep it up going into January! It’s a great feeling, committing to something and making it a priority in your life, and your writing will be all the stronger thanks to your efforts.

I hope you’ve all had a great month and a wonderful year, whatever frustrations you’ve faced, and that 2014 brings you a wealth of new wonders and joys. May it be happy, healthy, and successful. Good luck to you all in whatever you attempt.