FRESH START....

There's something about the beginning of a new year. Fills us with inspiration, hopes and dreams. Lets us believe that anything is possible. That the year to come can be anything we want it to be. And it can.

And of course there are resolutions...I'm still debating about what tack to take. Whether to focus on poetry or short story, the novel(s) that I wrote last year....hmmm too hard to think about just yet. I'll let it percolate, ponder on the pros and cons, on what I WANT to do, not what I SHOULD do.

Personal resolutions are so much easier- I have plans on health and wellbeing, on the house, on the garden, on myself spiritually as well. The writing ones are so much harder.

And of course there is knowing when to stop. There is no point in having a list a mile long ( I so used to do that)... totally unachievable and so daunting. So it's better to have a few solid ones on the list...ones that can be achieved within twelve months. And also goals that I have control over.

WRITE A NOVEL - yes that is achievable, doable and in fact done (a few times over)

GET NOVEL PUBLISHED - out of my hands. I can make it the best that I can, make it to a publishable standard- but the rest I can't control.

It's knowing the difference when setting goals that helps me feel at the end of the year that something has been achieved.

As for me, I started this year with poetry. I'm doing a small stone which is very interesting...focusing on something, making it come alive. It's a hard task - especially to someone who has spent most of last year working on novels. It's easier to ramble, to take tangents, get carried away...but with 'small stones' it's a case of less is more. Make the words count.

I'm also doing a Month of Poetry... a smallish group from all works and countries, writing a poem a day for January. Interestingly I thought the small stone would then develop into a larger poem, so far not so. They have been totally different. (mind you it is only day 4)

So I've begun the year playing with words. Trying to be taut in my writing, to make an impact. We'll see where this develops. Whether this will influence the year or not.

All I know is I've started the year writing...and it's still fun.