Writers, Do You Have New Year’s Resolutions for 2022?

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2022 New Year’s Resolutions for Writers

Do You Plan to Make Any New Year’s Resolutions?

January 1 is almost here. What would you like to accomplish during 2022?

Serious Is Good, But Wacky Is Better

I’ll start.

You decide what’s real and what’s facetious.

My New Year’s Resolutions for 2022

  • Arrange for a new author photo that shows me doing something interesting — like clinging to the neck of the Universal Studios Harry Potter dragon while it spews flames. (I wonder if it gets hot up there.)
  • Create goodies to mail out with my books: bookmarks printed with my Harry Potter dragon photo? autographed copies of said photo?
  • Locate software that makes accurate suggestions when “correcting” spelling and grammar. Microsoft Word often tells me something is wrong when I know it’s right. … Like it’s in the previous sentence. Word prefers its.
  • Find a mind-reading helmet that’ll record my thoughts while I sleep. I’m tired of dreams that engross me for what seems like hours, but by morning, my memory of them has vanished.
  • Teach my cat how to take dictation. Nah, that wouldn’t work. Maybe the dog. Dogs are always enthusiastic. I could do without the slobber on the computer keys, though.
  • Finish the stories that are gathering mold on my hard drive. Maybe the dog can help?
  • Transcribe the info from every sticky note in my writer’s cave, the bathroom, the kitchen, the living room, in my purse, and on my cellphone. Oh, wait, I scribbled a story idea on a napkin in my car, too. And another on the back of the grocery list that I threw into the recycling bin.
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  • Spend an occasional day without access to the internet. They say you get more writing done that way. Hmph. Are “they” delusional? I’d have to chase down my print editions of thesauruses, dictionaries, style guides, and Bridge for Dummies — Yikes! I wouldn’t be able to play cards online without the net.
  • Spend less time on social media. Will I miss Francine’s never-ending food photos? John’s fifty memes per day? Alex’s rants about politics?
  • Write in a new genre, something I’ve never tried. Better yet, combine genres: detective-pirate? space-political? horror-comedy?
  • Read more books. Stick with them no matter how much I hate them. Then leave a review, always finding something positive to say.
  • Pay more attention to world events, and leverage them for story prompts. Concentrate on positive or humorous incidents: squirrels who chew through wires and cause an outage of Christmas lights; a security guard who rescues a baby by administering the Heimlich maneuver; Canada dipping into their strategic reserves of maple syrup because of a massive shortage; cow-hugging to relieve stress.
  • Embrace a new hobby: make ornaments from the cat hair vacuumed out of the furniture; create scented sachets from shredded documents; learn Esperanto — or Klingon — or Op (Amy Farrah Fowler’s invented language on The Big Bang Theory).

Your Turn

Keep your suggestions family-friendly, please. Remember: Serious is good, but wacky is better. We could all use some smiles and laughs.

Find thousands of writing tips and word lists in
The Writer’s Lexicon series
and additional resources on my Facebook page.
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14 thoughts on “Writers, Do You Have New Year’s Resolutions for 2022?”

  1. Let’s see …
    1. I have a huge backlog of material that needs to be polished and published, so my “serious” goal is to publish 3 books. Every year, I get a coffee mug that captures the image of my goal and use it all year long. So this year I ordered several mugs with books on them.
    2. Whacky, When I brainstorm, especially for backstory on a character, I often add elephants, hypos, or aliens. As in: She broke her arm, fell through the ice, was abducted by elephants/hypos/aliens, kissed the boy next door, hates her name. These crazy images always make me smile and usually break up the log-jam of what to write about. So for 2022, I would like to encounter–for real!–elephants, hypos and/or aliens. That’s all.

    Reply ↓

    • I like your idea of the coffee mugs, Holly. I’m not so sure about elephants, hippos, and aliens, though.

      Are you a wacky wacko? 😉

      Stay safe during what is already turning to be a wackadoodle year!

      Reply ↓

  2. Looks like you’re going to be plenty busy lol. As for writing software that actually works for spelling etc., I would recommend Pro WritingAid. 🙂 Happy New Year Kathy. <3

    Reply ↓

  3. I wanna read more in 2022! Both fiction and nonfiction.

    Thanks for sharing your serious/wacky new year’s resolutions with us. I enjoyed reading this post!

    Wish you a happy, memorable 2022!

    Reply ↓

  4. Hi Miss Kathy,

    I love your resolutions. You gave me a good laugh.

    Her are a few of my resolutions for 2022

    1. Send Miss Kathy my autographed (by Work) and illustrated copy of Playing Poker the Klingon Way.
    2. Do more critiques and although a story stinks, say at least one nice thing. E.g., I love the part where it says, “The End.”
    3. Continue to continue making an attempt to try to finish and complete all redundancy quizzes.
    4. Eat vegan. Reward my success with a McDonalds Quarterpounder deluxe, large fries and a big Coke.
    5. Honor isolation by wearing only clothes without buttons, snaps, ties, or Velcro closures. Hooray for sweats and jammies!
    6. Eat more junk food. Hooray for expand pants!

    Thanks for helping me improve my writing. 🙂

    Here’s hoping 2022 brings us a less wacky world.

    Elbow bumps.

    Stay safe.

    Reply ↓

    • Lenny, you’re a gem. I laughed out loud while reading your resolutions. 🙂 Your perspective is always refreshing.

      Have a fantastic 2022 where your wishes come true!

      Happy elbow bumps.

      Reply ↓

  6. Se

    Send Auntie Kath a one-handed recorder for when the cat’s on strike, and the dog’s being stubborn. So she can dictate the notes immediately after having a vivid dream. Remember to put your glasses on first. Should I send it to Alberta or Universal Studios?

    Teach yourself poker in Klingon via the for those ho-hum “solitaires just not doing it for me” days. Best of luck in ’22 Auntie K.

    Reply ↓

    • Fantastic resolutions, Tom.

      Now which Universal Studios? Hmm. 😉 No way I’m gonna travel to California or Florida anytime soon. That leaves just one option. Now I have to find a book about Klingon poker.

      Here’s hoping that 2022 turns out to be the best year ever for you, and that all your serious New Year’s resolutions prove possible.

      Stay safe!

      Reply ↓