New Year resolutions have become so clichéd it gets a roll-my-eyes kind of response wheneverit is mentioned. Because cliché is where nuance is not. Boring. Yet the narrator in Yiyun li’sWhere Reason Ends, gives us a nuanced perspective on cliché: “What if life could be saved byclichés? What if life must be lived by clichés? Somewhere tomorrow and somewhere yesterday—never somewhere today but cliché-land,?” I think we live a clichéd life; A pattern to which wehave become faithful, until it no longer seems montonous and trite. And so, making resolutionsor goals, no matter how clichéd it may appear, illuminates our future with hope, gives us a realsense of purposefulness. These few ponts might be helpful as you plan a writing objective for2021:Have a Vision and Mission: This too sounds clichéd right? Well, the context is not. As a writer,see vision as what you’d love to have achieved by next year. An edited manuscript for example,or finding an agent, or getting published on a reputable literary platform. Then let your missionbe the steps you will take to achieve your vision. For example, if your vision is to complete anovel or a story collection, your mission can be to write 500 or 1000 words each day. At the endof the year, the result will be that of having lived by the code of delayed gratification; a realsense fulfilment. Maybe the best way to ensure you achieve this is to give yourself a lower wordcount. Something that matches up with your real life situation. Protect Your Writing Time: Find a definite writing time and stick to it. This year I read a lot offree interviews from The Paris Review, and I came to understand that established writers have awriting time which they guard so jealously. Find a writing time that works for you and thenguard it like your life depends on it.
Prepare a Reading List: I keep failing at this because my friends wouldn’t stop talking about anew book they’ve just read. They make me feel out of date. But having a reading list would keepyou intent and focused. Do not merely include books in your genre, go further to explore othergenres. Also, include books on the subject you are working on in order to broaden your viewsand bring new perspectives into it. Make Room for Failure and Rejection: A lot of writers are afraid of rejection. And it’s notsuch a terrible thing, because it can help them aim for a certain degree of perfection. Every writerI know aims for perfection. And the usual result is this: we never get satisfied with our works.Rejection is also part of the territory of writing. Keep that in mind this year. Find a Support Network: writing is a solitary art. Much as you plan on working on amanuscript next year, have a support network of friends who will always be there for you ondark days when you are depressed or fraught with uncertainty. There is something almostrefreshing titillating about having friends who say, “You’re doing well,”. Especially friends whoare writers. Be Kind to Yourself: we often throw our selves into a new year with, to put it in a very Nigerianway, too much gra gra, a certain kind of overzealous energy. We become very disciplined,focused and faithful to our goal. A month or two later, the energy wans. Next we become harriedand uninspired. It is important to understand that halfway through the coming year, themotivation to sit down and write might no longer be there. We even go days or weeks or months,scared of facing the blank page. On certain days when you have prepared yourself to write,distractions come lining up from friends, family, social media feeds, etc. Well, when you fall forthem, be kind to yourself and know that a bit of distraction is part of the process. But in as much
as this distractions come, learn to tell yourself you’ve enjoyed yourself enough, and then pick upyour pen again. I hope this helps. May the gods and goddesses of the universe be nice to writers this year.
With love,
Chibuike Ogbonnaya
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