New Year, New Writing Inspiration

We're a few days into the New Year. Are your resolutions still holding? Or, don't you make any? Do you set writing goals? This post will help you find inspiration for your writing in 2018.

The start of a new year is a good time to reflect on the previous year, and to consider what you want to achieve in the year ahead. It's a good time to evaluate what worked, and use that to inspire us to further achievements, but also to consider what didn't work, and whether that should be pruned from our lives and goals. I love the Einstein quote which says that insanity is to continue to do the same thing and expect a different result. If something isn't working, then change the tactic, or do something different.

Below are resources and ideas that you may find helpful in your refections

Inspiration: Try something new

The Writer's Digest site has some great writing prompts to help generate new ideas:

https://www.writersdigest.com/prompts

Select something that is challenging, new, and perhaps that you have never tried before. think about the topic, and start free writing (writing whatever flows through your mind) see what comes out of it. You may find inspiration for a new novel or story.

Set writing goals

I set writing goals every year, and last year achieved most of them last year. I need to be more realistic in my goal setting for 2018. One that I failed on was to write this blog every week! I will be planning on posting every fortnight in 2018.

There is a great article on setting goals that are effective, also from Writer's Digest (they have a huge range of articles and ideas to help you.

https://www.writersdigest.com/writing-articles/by-writing-goal/7-tips-for-creating-writing-goals-that-actually-work

Try entering Writing Competitions in 2018

A challenging way to hone your skills is to identify writing competitions that appeal to you, and enter them. I add them to my calendar with a prompt ahead of time, so that I can enter them. The sites below have listings of a range of writing competitions.

https://www.aerogrammestudio.com/2018/01/02/short-story-contests-2018/

https://www.christopherfielden.com/short-story-tips-and-writing-advice/short-story-competitions.php

https://www.dystopianstories.com/writing-competitions-contests/

https://www.writers-online.co.uk/writing-competitions/

Try your hand at Flash Fiction

Telling a story with a tight word limit is a great way to learn how to cut out unnecessary words. I like the #sixwordstory on Twitter from @WriterlyTweets

Ad Hoc Fiction runs a weekly contest which is great fun: https://adhocfiction.com/submit/

Read a new genre

Good writing advice is to read extensively, and to read the genre you write, so that you know the conventions, learn from other writers, and know when you can subvert the genre. Try something new this year, and read a genre that you would normally never touch - romance / horror / sci fi / drama. Now try writing a story in that genre. It's a good exercise that forces you to try something different. You may be surprised by what it leads to.

Read a great Writer's Biography

I'm not a fan of horror stories, but knowing that Stephen King is one of the most successful and prolific authors of our time means he has valuable insights to offer to budding writers. His autobiography 'On Writing' is one of the best books I've ever come across about writing, and I found it very inspiring. Find a writer whose work you love, and see if you can find their biography. it's encouraging to see how small some of them started, and that even JK Rowling received rejection letters - she has published these online, and they are worth reading, if ever you need encouragement.

Above all else, if you want to be a writer, then you need to write, so time to stop procrastinating, and WRITE!

May 2018 be the year your work is published.