5 Ways to Keep My New Year's Resolution

"Your whole life is an unfinished book project," says my best friend, Bobie. "I bet you a dollar that things would be so much different, if you finally finished one of your books."

It hate to admit it, but I think she is right. I do feel like my life is stuck, and that things would take a dramatic change for the better, if I could muster the gumption to finish one of my many, many projects. Well, Bobie, since it's time for New Year's resolutions, I resolve to finally finish writing a book. When I taught novel writing in high school, my students were expected to finish their draft in a space of two semesters. Why shouldn't I be able to do it?

So here is my plan:

1. I will it the ground running.

There is no point in waiting until New Years Eve to begin the work on your resolution. That's just another form of procrastination, and procrastination is the death of the most well-intentioned project. Besides, it's much easier to finishing a project that is already in progress. I've been meaning to write a book about my experiences with borderline personality disorder (BPD), and my work here on AC has given me a damn good start.

So I will start right now.

2. I will have a plan and keep track of my progress.

First, the project must be outlined. I'll begin by setting myself a timetable to meet the terms of my New Years resolution: so much time for the book's outline, this much time for the necessary research and journaling, that much time for drafting, and the rest of the year for revising. I will stick to the writing process - diligently: prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. It's important to keep in mind that the prewriting stage can take up the project's largest time allotment. In my lifetime, I've written two screenplays (which I don't count as book projects). Close to half the amount of time spent on each was devoted to prewriting activities: writing character biographies, developing the setting, outlining the plot, etc. After this preliminary work was completed, the screenplays pretty much wrote themselves.

3. I will set aside a regular time to write.

I will set aside writing time, during which I will devote myself to nothing else. One hour a day will be good. That's all I had for my first screenplay. But it must be the same hour every day. Maybe it's superstition, or maybe there is a sound psychological reason behind it, but dedicating the same hour seems to help create the necessary discipline needed to write. One hour a day will be devoted to fulfilling my New Years resolution, even if that hour is spent just staring at the screen.

4. I will read daily.

Language arts teachers will tell you that reading and writing are part of the same process. That may be so, but they are still two different things. They feed off each other, but you cannot do them at the same time (taking notes doesn't count). What I read may or may not be research related, as long as I stick my nose into that book for at least an hour. Hey, why not set aside a scheduled hour for reading as well? One hour in which I do naught but read. Some days I may finish two chapters, while others it may just be two pages. What do you know, that's just like writing.

5. I will keep track of my progress.

I have a year to finish my book. That seems like a lot of time, but if it's wasted - like so much other time is wasted on New Years resolutions - that time will go a lot faster than you think. The trick to good discipline is to find the right mixture of guns and butter. So I will need to ask myself: have I spent a whole hour writing? Have I spent an hour reading? Will my prewriting be done by May or June? There needs to be some sort of timetable, but one that is flexible enough to allow me to stay in the game.The best way to fulfill your New Years resolution is to start ahead of time.Use planning and discipline.You need the right combination of guns and butter.There is no point in waiting until New Years Eve to begin the work on your resolution. That's just another form of procrastination, and procrastination is the death of the most well-intentioned project.