Review Board is now open! Submit your Short Prose, Poetry, and Book today!

Day(s)

:

Hour(s)

:

Minute(s)

:

Second(s)

Deadline: Thursday, February 22nd

Welcome The New Year By Making This Powerful Promise To Yourself

Tis the season for making resolutions. And while most people are promising to lose weight, quit smoking, or remodel the kitchen, we’ve got a proposition for you creative writers out there. Stay motivated and encouraged by making this important promise to yourself (repeat after us): This year I promise to always THINK BIG.

Need motivation? It’s a great time to be a writer. The world is going through incredible changes right before our eyes, and whether the changes are good or bad, the truth is that turmoil and upheaval birth creative genius, innovative ideas, and new directions.

Visualize yourself actively creating this year, rather than passively sitting back to see what happens in the publishing industry. Everyone will have a different idea of what BIG is—whether it’s overcoming your fear of rejection and sending out that very first submission or landing a big-time literary agent—but it’s important to make thinking on a grand scale a part of your everyday life.

When it comes to the writing life, the easy thing to do is stack negatives. It’s hard to make a living as a writer; the odds of publication are daunting; my sister hated my short story; my wrists hurt.

A successful writer will have vision that transcends the negatives. I’m doing what I truly love to do. I have talent. Writing is my creative outlet. I see myself doing BIG things in the writing arena. And by thinking this way, it’s so much easier to actually achieve big goals.

Some writers will make a checklist of small, attainable steps as building blocks to their ultimate goal. Others will just sit down and get to the business of writing a novel (or a play or a poem) until it’s complete. The key is COMMITMENT to these goals. See yourself as a flourishing and dedicated writer and then make it happen, any way you know how.

Don’t let yourself be intimidated by big dreams. Remember that old joke about how to eat an elephant: “One bite at a time.” Approach your writing goals the same way, and don’t let that big bad elephant send you running from the room.

Maintain your enthusiasm. New Year’s resolutions are fueled by an initial burst of resolve that typically fritters away throughout the year. If you remind yourself each day to think BIG, this kind of positive attitude can actually become a part of your nature; eventually, you will naturally see yourself as a successful writer.

You won’t be derailed by rejection letters, writer’s block, or editors who won’t publish your short story. Instead, you’ll see this as a necessary part of the process of writing. Rejection and roadblocks won’t define you as a writer; they will inspire you to forge ahead.

Submit to Review Board

Reward yourself generously for your dedication. For some, crossing off an item on a list can be tremendously rewarding. For others, a pint of ice cream or a trip to the botanical gardens is reward enough for finishing a difficult chapter or sending out a new batch of query letters.

Use positive reinforcement on yourself—it works well for children and pets, so why not writers?—and treat yourself kindly and with patience.

Don’t set yourself up for failure. If I don’t write a novel and see it published by next year, I quit! Instead, see yourself reaching attainable goals. I’m going to get a rough draft of a novel completed by this time next year! Don’t make failure a possibility.

Always come from a place of excellence. Do your best work, always, and continue to expand and improve your skills. Take writing classes, read the classics, welcome constructive criticism. At the end of the day, know that even if you simply wrote one paragraph, it was an excellent paragraph—your best effort.

Embrace your career with joy and enthusiasm. You’re a writer! Even if you spend eight hours a day at a mattress factory, that’s just your day job. You’re a writer! Your work inspires, motivates, challenges, and creates emotional reactions for your readers. What an incredible gift you have to share! Read More: Ask Ronnie: Ten Reasons We Love Writers.

The bottom line. Whether you’ve got a four-page to-do list for the new year or one big ambition, frame your goals in a positive light and get started. If you get bogged down by plot problems or blindsided by a particularly scathing rejection letter, take a moment to bring your vision to the forefront. Visualize the BIG prize and see yourself taking it for your own.

At Writer’s Relief, we believe in thinking BIG. We see our writer clients as stars in the making, and we celebrate their every success. If you need help getting started—whether you’re having trouble with a query letter or you need help targeting your creative writing submissions more effectively—let us know. We’ll be cheering you on all the way!

2 Comments

  1. Adriana Kraft

    Great post, and a perfect foundation for any New Year’s Resolutions: Dream big, maintain your enthusiasm, re-define any failure or rejection as a learning opportunity, then apply the lesson learned, keep moving. I like it.

    Reply
  2. Stephanie Frank

    Thank you so much for this! It’s a huge help.

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Review Board is now open! Submit your Short Prose, Poetry, and Book today!

Day(s)

:

Hour(s)

:

Minute(s)

:

Second(s)

 

 

See ALL the services we offer, from
FREE to Full Service!

Click here for a Writer’s Relief
Full Service Overview

Search

Reviews

“Getting that first poem published was the hardest threshold to cross. My team at Writer’s Relief kept encouraging me…then came the acceptance! We celebrated…then I continued writing, and Writer’s Relief continued doing the wonderful work they do!”

—King Grossman, Writer
(Watch King’s video testimonial here!)

“Every piece I have sent out with their help has been accepted for publication! I am looking forward to working with the team on getting my new novel out into the world.”

Services Catalog

Free Publishing Leads
and Tips!

Featured Articles



Featured Video

Follow us!



YES, IT'S MY LUCKY DAY!
Sign me up for
FREE Publishing Leads & Tips
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

WHY? Because our insider
know-how has helped
writers get over 18,000 acceptances.

FREE Publishing Leads and Tips! Our e-publication, Submit Write Now!, delivered weekly to your inbox.
  • BEST (and proven) submission tips
  • Hot publishing leads
  • Calls to submit
  • Contest alerts
  • Notification of industry changes
  • And much more!
close-link


STOP! BEFORE YOU GO...
Sign me up for
FREE Publishing Leads & Tips
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

WHY? Because our insider
know-how has helped
writers get over 18,000 acceptances.

FREE Publishing Leads and Tips! Our e-publication, Submit Write Now!, delivered weekly to your inbox.
  • BEST (and proven) submission tips
  • Hot publishing leads
  • Calls to submit
  • Contest alerts
  • Notification of industry changes
  • And much more!
close-link

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This