Resolutions
By D.L. Winchester
We are fiction writers, and most of us are talented enough to write fiction even when we don't intend to.
This happens a lot around this time of year; in fact, you may already have a piece of paper with "New Year's Resolutions 2025" stuck somewhere you'll see it.
Odds are, a paper with "New Year's Resolutions 2024" has already found its way to the garbage can. Heck, it probably didn't survive to see if the groundhog called for more winter or not.
Now, I don't particularly care about your weight loss goals or your eating habits (though that one about being nicer to editors is definitely something I can get behind). But, when it comes to writing, I want to see you succeed as much as anyone! And part of that is setting resolutions (goals) that make you excited, not discouraged.
I could start by discussing SMART Goals, an excellent framework for goal-setting that I often use. But that's a blog post in itself, and quite frankly, there are posts by experts that cover it far better than I could. (https://www.ucop.edu/local-human-resources/_files/performance-appraisal/How%20to%20write%20SMART%20Goals%20v2.pdf).
The biggest key to setting successful resolutions is keeping your goals achievable and realistic. A lot of people online talk about things like "1,000 words per day" or "100 rejections in a year." And for some, those goals may be achievable.
They aren't for me.
In 2024, I'm going to grind out just under 200,000 words, or just over 500 words per day of new writing. Which is going to be my best year to date. I'll also bring in around 25 rejections (my submission volume has dropped because I've been working on publisher things). So when I set my goals for 2025, I'm going to base them on those numbers, because they are realistic for me.
So instead of 1,000 words per day, my 2025 resolution will be to write 200,000 words for the year.
Instead of 100 rejections*, I'll look for 30.
I've also got other goals, projects with Undertaker Books that I need to succeed. But to me, things like that are too specific for a resolution. Resolutions should be broad, goals with the intention to find success in ways that expand your horizons, not tied to things you have to get done.
Realistic resolutions move the needle and make bigger things possible. Instead of being overwhelmed by your goals, they motivate you to become a better writer (and human, can't forget those resolutions).
From everyone at Undertaker Books, I hope you have a successful and prosperous 2025, and that at least some of your new words and rejections (and maybe even an acceptance) come from submitting to our 2025 anthologies!
*Why should you track rejections instead of acceptances? Because the ratio of acceptances to rejections is low, so a high number of rejections means you're getting your writing out into the world and making an effort to get published, not focusing on fine-tuning each piece to death—that's what editors are for.