Rebelling against Resolutions (not really)

What could be easier than a blog post about resolutions for 2010?

Answer? Not much.

But a part of me didn’t want to scribble down a bunch of goals for the coming year. I’m kind of a rebel in that way. If everyone is hopping on the dystopian band wagon – I probably won’t. Unless a fantastic plot drops into my head and my fingers start itching to write it. But I’m more of a magical realism kind of gal. 

My dreams. My goals. They are always with me. Ping-ponging around in the back of my head. Beating in my heart. I know what my goals are – I live them every day.

Okay, okay. If you really want to know what they are, I’ll tell you. Geez.

Continue to grow in my relationship with the Lord. Reach out to my husband and kids in new ways: fostering relationships that will last when they become teens(that part refers to the relationship with my kids, not my husband). Spend more time with my dad(who went in for gallbladder surgery and almost died over Thanksgiving). These goals pre-empt my writing goals. But I do have some writing goals. 

Where I am now: I have a few completed novels on the virtual bookshelf. I have ideas that I’m excited to pursue. I’m hoping to enter the query trenches in the next few months. I have a brand-spanking new blog that no one reads…yet.

Where I hope to be next year: I want to grow. I want to write out of my comfort zone in hopes of learning something new. I want to push the borders of my writing voice and my storytelling. I want to have fun with words. I want to take my words white water river rafting, mountain climbing, bungee jumping. Feel the splash of shocking cold water. Feel the air thinning, legs burning as I summit new peaks. Feel the air rushing past as I jump off cliffs (not literally). And if I happen to sign with an agent and sign a contract? Oh, I guess I wouldn’t mind that either.

Okay. It’s done. I dutifully did my New Year’s blog. Now next year, I can look back with nostalgia while sipping hot cocoa. So writing this post wasn’t that bad.

Overall, I think it would have been better without the stinky smell of sauerkraut in the air. (Totally my hubby’s gig, not mine. What can I say? He’s from PA.)

12 Responses to Rebelling against Resolutions (not really)

  1. Susan Pauling January 2, 2010 at 12:17 am #

    Hey….don’t I count???

  2. Laura Pauling January 2, 2010 at 7:43 am #

    Of course you do. I was speaking in generalities.

  3. Susan Pauling January 2, 2010 at 5:52 pm #

    I don’t know if I have ever been called a generality 🙂 Keep writing because I am waiting…..

  4. Laura Pauling January 2, 2010 at 9:27 pm #

    Okay, I have to be honest. It just sounded better to say that no one was reading it. 🙂

  5. Trisha Puddle January 3, 2010 at 9:31 pm #

    Hey, I’m reading it. 🙂 I didn’t know you had a blog, Laura.

    It’s nice to know what you look like too.

    Good luck with all your wonderful books. I bet some of them get snapped up by an agent or publisher this year. I’d love to see them in print.

    • Laura Pauling January 3, 2010 at 11:55 pm #

      Hi Trish! As you can tell, I haven’t had it very long. And I just went live with it in the past couple days. I needed to test the waters first. Ya know?

  6. Ansha Kotyk January 4, 2010 at 9:01 pm #

    Hee hee. I’m from PA (in my earliest years) and we had sauerkraut and pork for new years too! 🙂

  7. Heather Kelly January 4, 2010 at 9:46 pm #

    Laura–I’m enjoying your blog. I came over from Casey’s Literary Rambles to say hi. I’m not sure I’ve figured out how to follow, though. I guess through e-mail?

    I love your resolve to grow in your writing. That’s a wonderful one!

  8. Laura Pauling January 4, 2010 at 10:07 pm #

    Hi Heather,
    I haven’t figured out how to add the google Friend Connect yet to the sidebar. I will eventually, or my brother will do it for me. Glad you’re enjoying it! Thanks. And I almost rebelled and didn’t write a Resolution/goal post. -Laura

  9. Tabitha January 5, 2010 at 12:10 am #

    *virtual high five* Love meeting other writers who know their goals. Really know them. 🙂

    And I think it’s awesome you want to write outside your comfort zone. That’s one of the scariest, most frustrating, and most rewarding experiences a writer can undertake. I hope you’ll share how it goes!

  10. Laura Pauling January 5, 2010 at 8:13 am #

    And, I don’t even know exactly what “writing outside my comfort zone” will look like yet. We’ll see.

  11. Heather Kelly January 5, 2010 at 1:27 pm #

    Laura–In your comment on my blog, you mentioned wanting to find other bloggers writing for MG, so I responded there with a list of people from my blogroll who I think write MG. (I’m not reproducing it here, since it’s easier to just click from the blogroll). Good luck finding other like-minded bloggers. I live in MA, by the way.

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