Heading into a New Year: 3 Ways to Make 2018 Your Best Writing Year Yet

Sunday, December 31, 2017
As we come to the end of another year, ask yourself two questions. Are you and your writing where you want to be? And is this where you want to be in another year? Don’t give flippant answers. Really think about them without getting defensive. You may not have finished your novel, which you wanted to do, but it isn’t your fault. You had to help your mother move. Your oldest went away to...
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A Rack-Up of the Year

Saturday, December 30, 2017
Another year is almost gone. If you're old like me (pushing 60), time passes in a series of eye-blinks. Every time you blink, a couple of seasons pass. If you're still in your 20s or 30s, time goes by a bit more slowly and you can savor it instead of rubbernecking as it flies by. Many writers keep track of their progress during the year. They tally up their acceptances and their rejections....
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The "Perfect Timing" Trap

Thursday, December 28, 2017
Today is my oldest son’s birthday, and if you’re one of those people who have a holiday birthday, then you know how challenging it can be to find the perfect time to celebrate a birthday. Especially when a kid is at that age when he wants a party and all his friends around and a big whoop-de-doo time.

The holiday break is no good because half the friends are gone. Before Christmas, it’s way too hectic for a mother to plan a birthday party. Or maybe that was just this mother. Anyway, we’d wait a week or two, figuring that would be the perfect time. But school was back in full gear and so we’d wait another week, for things to settle down. That would be the perfect time, surely. But then we’d be into February and it would be way too cold for anything fun and outdoors and so we’d wait a few more weeks. The perfect time was right around the corner in March.

You see where this is going, right? My oldest son had two—TWO!--whoop-de-doo parties when he was young. We were caught in that “Perfect Timing” trap. Waiting for the perfect time, we’d never quite get around to celebrating much at all.

Writers—including this writer—often get caught in the “Perfect Timing” trap. We’ll write when the baby takes a nap. Or when the kids are at school and we finish making beds, washing clothes, painting that bookshelf. Or when we start working part-time. Or when we retire. Or when our kid who’s moved back home ever moves out.

Yep, we have a million reasons why the timing is not right to write.

And I’ll bet you can see where this is going, too. There is no such thing as the perfect time for writing. There will always be something or someone coming along to give us a perfectly good reason not to write. And before you know it, it’s been weeks, months, years, since you’ve written much at all.

Now, there surely are times when events or situations in our lives legitimately prevent us from writing. And there are times when the people in our lives truly need us, and those are times when writing must wait. But following these times away from writing, it’s very easy to wait for the perfect writing time to come again.

It’s not going to come.

So before 2018 begins, let’s take a few moments to go over all the reasons we put off writing in 2017. Because honestly, Oldest Junior Hall spent years whining about how his mother neglected his birthday and his mother might’ve spent years feeling just a wee bit guilty about it.

Join me and break free from the “Perfect Timing” trap in 2018 (and live a more guilt-free writing life)!


Cathy C. Hall is a kidlit author and humor writer and she vows that there will be no more waiting for the perfect time to write in 2018. She might even get around to having another birthday party for her oldest son. But honestly, she's not making any promises about that one. You can see what Cathy did manage to get done in 2017 at her blog, and keep up with her in the new year, 'cause it's going to be busy! Probably!
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Making Magic

Wednesday, December 27, 2017
I just spent six glorious days at Walt Disney World with my husband and children.  It was my first time there and while I knew we’d have fun, I didn’t know how wonderful it would be.  Disney World is truly magical.  In fact, it got me thinking.  What is it that made my experience so magical?  What about my trip made me want to come back?  How could I add that same...
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Meet Michelle Hsu, 2nd Place Winner in the Summer 2017 Flash Fiction Contest

Tuesday, December 26, 2017
Originally from the sleepy suburb of Downers Grove, Illinois, Michelle spent her childhood writing stories to keep herself entertained. After graduating from Northwestern University in 2016 with a double major in Environmental Science and Film, she packed her belongings into a small car and made the time-honored trek to LA to pursue a career in entertainment; she is currently working at NBC. As...
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Surviving the Canyon Trail and What I Learned from It

Monday, December 25, 2017
Instead of my regular Christmas post where I write random inspirational thoughts, I’m sharing a story about something that happened to me recently, and how I’m applying it to the New Year. (Yep. I've ran into rattlesnakes.) December 13th was a Wednesday, but it felt more like a Friday on account of my bad luck. It’s the kind of luck that turns a glass half empty, makes you question what you did...
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Be Gentle

Sunday, December 24, 2017
BE GENTLE Be gentle with yourself. Be gentle with others. This may be someone’s last day with someone they love. This may be someone’s first day alone. This may be someone’s last sunset. This may be someone’s first sunrise. Treat yourself and others with grace  and be gentle with your words and expectations  while being generous with your love and hugs. I...
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Out of sight, out of mind

Saturday, December 23, 2017
Every January each member of my critique group makes a list of writing (and/or other) goals, seals them in an envelope, and opens them in December to measure her success. A few weeks ago we got our lists back and read them aloud to the group. When we reached the end of the list, we summarized our successes and failures. This year I met fewer than half my goals. I had four items on my list and right...
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When Photos Tell a Story

Thursday, December 21, 2017
Michael George Roberson Sept. 20, 1945-March 5, 2017 I feel like every year I buy my husband the same old gifts. Clothes, shoes (because he never, ever buys those things for himself!) something technology related, science-fiction DVDS, and fitness gadgets or accessories. This year, I happened to be at home alone one day when an image popped in my head. It was photo I had seen of my father-in-law...
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A Writing Exercise to Help You Raise the Stakes for Your Characters

Wednesday, December 20, 2017
Recently, I was critiquing a section of a WOW! student's romance novella, which is a very entertaining and well-written story, but something was lacking. After thinking about it for a while, I realized what it was--there was nothing really at stake. In genre novels, especially, the characters need to have something to lose, and the stakes have to be high, or your readers won't bother to get to the...
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Interview with Elizabeth Jones Hanley: Summer 2017 Flash Fiction Contest Third Place Winner

Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Elizabeth’s Bio: Elizabeth Jones Hanley learned almost everything she knows about writing from her father, who was an English professor and poet. Together they started a quarterly poetry journal, The Mid-America Poetry Review, in 2000, and she was associate editor for ten years before the journal folded. She has two published chapbooks of poems: The Art of Making Tea and The Last Winter. Currently,...
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Deadline? What Deadline? Sometimes You Need a Break

Monday, December 18, 2017
I got a message from my editor. “I’ll have everything together by the end of the week. Just wanted to give you a heads up so you can clear your schedule for the rewrite.” Then I waited. And I waited some more. Finally the rewrite landed in my inbox at midnight last Saturday. This means that I have a book due today, one week before Christmas. Do I need to explain to all of you writing women...
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Who's Impacted You?

Sunday, December 17, 2017
Chris Rosati died on October 18. He was 46 and chose the day he died. He'd been battling ALS since 2010, and when a trach tube took away his ability to talk, he decided on getting the tube removed. He died hours later. Chris dreamed of stealing a Krispy Kreme truck and dropping off doughnuts at schools and nursing homes. He figured if he got arrested, with his ALS, what would they do to him? Thankfully,...
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Your High School Science Teacher was Wrong (and your creative writing instructor was, too)

Friday, December 15, 2017
by Gila Green Writers must think about description. A lot. We're told to paint in words, and to use vivid prose. But there's one piece of description-writing advice we hear most: Five Senses. What many writing instructors really mean by this is to drop the visual emphasis and dip into sound, smell, taste and touch. Mostly, we're diligent about it. On paper every meal becomes a sensual, olfactory,...
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Seeing Your Work in a Different Light

Thursday, December 14, 2017
Pexels.com Yesterday I received an e-mail about an upcoming writing contest. After taking a break from submitting to contests for a while, I have begun dusting off some of my work and taking a chance. This contest caught my eye because it is a Cinematic Short Story Contest—meaning, you submit short fiction that may have cinematic appeal. I sat back and thought about this. Some of the doubt I...
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