Happy New Year
On the first day of 2011, I think it is time for a little reflection. But first let me wish everyone who reads this a very Happy New Year and all the best for 2011!
What a busy month December has been for this little blog since its revival! The dust has been well and truly blown away with me publishing numerous posts. December has seen my blog receive its first ever comments and now has two followers! A special welcome to Victoria - thank you so much for following me! This first month has been wonderfully revitalising, and may that continue well into the new year and beyond.
2010 has otherwise been a very unpleasant year for personal reasons, but it is now ended. 2011 will be a new start, full of possibilities and hope. This year I hope to actually make something of my writing dreams...
Yes, I say that every year, but this is the third time - maybe it will be lucky?
This year, inspiration is my key word. It is my goal to find inspiration in as many places as possible: video games, classing books, reference books, documentaries, and all the other things that I have gained simple enjoyment from in the past. Inspirations can strike at any time, but sometimes you need to move yourself into the right place at the right time for it to hit.
As well as looking for inspiration, I am going to try and get rid of my personal habits that put my writing back. As a long-term sufferer of depresson I can be brought down so quickly it is embarrassing. Several habits are regular contributors to this, and I hope to try and at least reduce them.
Although a tiny little voice inside my head will keep insisting that what I am about to say is wrong, I am fully aware that the universe does not revolve around me. Now, consider if you will the mental image that this last sentence conjures up, and then think of the opposite - that's me. If a friend makes a general remark, or I hear a laugh when I pass a stranger, I automatically think it is directed at me. Utterly silly and often defying logic, but this is often the way I think.
So, resolution number one: Try to be less paranoid!
In a documentary following the early stages of his life after being diagnosed with alzheimers, my literary "hero" Sir Terry Pratchett commented that to be absent-minded and a little forgetful was characteristic of being a writer. Whilst I found this school of thought comforting as someone who is absent-minded and forgetful, I'm almost certain he didn't mean that a good writer was completely scatterbrained. I find it very easy to become distracted from my tasks, which is never going to get me any further than the crowds of wishful thinkers that I have already joined.
Therefore, resolution number two: Develop a stronger focus!
I have other resolutions: Get fit, take more care in my appearance, visit friends and family more often, and save lots of money for my wedding. Basically, be a better person, don't you think? But the biggest resolution I have:
Resolution number three: Get my work published!
By keeping to the resolutions I mentioned earlier, I hope to enter most, if not all, of the competitions that I set out to enter. I need to take each loss as one of the facts of life in a writing odyssey, and dust myself off for the next project. Most importantly, I must prepare myself for each attempt, paying careful attention to the rules and make sure I know exactly what I want to do and need to achieve at the end. It will be a lot of hard work, but if I can manage it the rewards will be worth it. 2010 saw me miss four competitions, and what would have happened if I had entered them is anyone's guess.
Before I finish this first entry of 2011, I would like to offer a big thank you to all of the people who have read even one of my blog entries over the past year. I hope you will be as patient with me this year as you were in the last, and that I can reward that patience with good news soon!
With the very warmest wishes for the new year,
HC Clarke :)
What a busy month December has been for this little blog since its revival! The dust has been well and truly blown away with me publishing numerous posts. December has seen my blog receive its first ever comments and now has two followers! A special welcome to Victoria - thank you so much for following me! This first month has been wonderfully revitalising, and may that continue well into the new year and beyond.
2010 has otherwise been a very unpleasant year for personal reasons, but it is now ended. 2011 will be a new start, full of possibilities and hope. This year I hope to actually make something of my writing dreams...
Yes, I say that every year, but this is the third time - maybe it will be lucky?
This year, inspiration is my key word. It is my goal to find inspiration in as many places as possible: video games, classing books, reference books, documentaries, and all the other things that I have gained simple enjoyment from in the past. Inspirations can strike at any time, but sometimes you need to move yourself into the right place at the right time for it to hit.
As well as looking for inspiration, I am going to try and get rid of my personal habits that put my writing back. As a long-term sufferer of depresson I can be brought down so quickly it is embarrassing. Several habits are regular contributors to this, and I hope to try and at least reduce them.
Although a tiny little voice inside my head will keep insisting that what I am about to say is wrong, I am fully aware that the universe does not revolve around me. Now, consider if you will the mental image that this last sentence conjures up, and then think of the opposite - that's me. If a friend makes a general remark, or I hear a laugh when I pass a stranger, I automatically think it is directed at me. Utterly silly and often defying logic, but this is often the way I think.
So, resolution number one: Try to be less paranoid!
In a documentary following the early stages of his life after being diagnosed with alzheimers, my literary "hero" Sir Terry Pratchett commented that to be absent-minded and a little forgetful was characteristic of being a writer. Whilst I found this school of thought comforting as someone who is absent-minded and forgetful, I'm almost certain he didn't mean that a good writer was completely scatterbrained. I find it very easy to become distracted from my tasks, which is never going to get me any further than the crowds of wishful thinkers that I have already joined.
Therefore, resolution number two: Develop a stronger focus!
I have other resolutions: Get fit, take more care in my appearance, visit friends and family more often, and save lots of money for my wedding. Basically, be a better person, don't you think? But the biggest resolution I have:
Resolution number three: Get my work published!
By keeping to the resolutions I mentioned earlier, I hope to enter most, if not all, of the competitions that I set out to enter. I need to take each loss as one of the facts of life in a writing odyssey, and dust myself off for the next project. Most importantly, I must prepare myself for each attempt, paying careful attention to the rules and make sure I know exactly what I want to do and need to achieve at the end. It will be a lot of hard work, but if I can manage it the rewards will be worth it. 2010 saw me miss four competitions, and what would have happened if I had entered them is anyone's guess.
Before I finish this first entry of 2011, I would like to offer a big thank you to all of the people who have read even one of my blog entries over the past year. I hope you will be as patient with me this year as you were in the last, and that I can reward that patience with good news soon!
With the very warmest wishes for the new year,
HC Clarke :)
Hi Hc, good to hear you're setting yourself achievable goals for this year. I think many of us have the problem of expecting too much of ourselves, or sometimes too little. But it seems that the things you set out to do this year are more than likely to be achieved, so keep this positive attitude, girl!
ReplyDeleteI'm certainly going to be popping into your blog more often, so I guess I shall see your progress :) Good luck,
Nari X
Thank you Nari! I never set myself any serious resolutions for 2010, because I knew it was going to be a lousy and distracting year (a relative passed away after a long illness). Hopefully I can make up for that this year. I think the dealing with my paranoia is going to be very difficult, as it's something I have struggled with for over a decade. But we must all start somewhere if we are to get anything done.
ReplyDeleteI'm very pleased to hear you will be visiting my blog! :D This last month has been very positive for me, and I have a lot more encouragement to keep the dust off my blog from now on. I hope you won't be disappointed.
HC xx