Well hello there, Reader!
It’s that dreaded beginning of the year when everyone is OBSESSED with resolutions. Where you can’t turn a digital corner without running smack into an ad for another fad diet or exercise app.
(I’m looking at you Instagram, stop it! I’m not the cook in my household and I have so many food allergies all these fancy organic meal plans would land me in the hospital.😵)
I’m very much NOT a resolution cat. In fact, I loathe them. I much prefer the 3 Ghosts of Creativity approach a friend came up with.
It’s like A Christmas Carol, but with less being haunted into good behavior and sadly also less Muppets.
Ghost of Creativity Past
I think my biggest issue with New Year’s resolutions is the implied messaging that you’ve already failed at something. And seriously who wants to start the year off with that baggage weighing you down?
This year I resolve to lose weight…
implying you’re too heavy.
This year I resolve to eat healthier…
implying you ate too much junk.
This year I resolve to save money…
implying you spent too much.
Instead, why not look back at the things you did accomplish?
Too often the only time we look back at our accomplishments is when we’re updating a resume to apply for a job.
Honestly, Reader, you and I and every other creative out there deserves as much praise as we got as kids. (Remember those gold star stickers? 🌟)
And those accomplishments don’t even have to be grand noteworthy things either.
Maybe you finally wrote 1,000 words in a day.
Or maybe you finished your first short story.
Or maybe you uploaded your first book to Amazon KDP.
Whatever the accomplishment, big or small it’s worth making note of. And getting yourself a little treat as a reward.
Ghost of Creativity Present
Now I’m not suggesting you lurk about town with a ghost companion while everyone you know talks shit about you in a well-choreographed song and dance number. However, you might want to read some reviews of your work.
Beyond just the stars, are you meeting reading expectations?
Are you falling short?
Is there a clear place where you could improve your storycraft?
Are your covers misleading? As in are they suggesting a cute and fluffy Rom-Com when in fact your story’s so hardcore it would make 50 Shades blush? 😳
But most importantly: are you happy writing what you’re writing? Or does something feel a bit…off?
This one is HUGE. And I learned this lesson the hard way.
You see, Reader, back in 2017 I was part of a Romance anthology where we had to critique a partner’s story. It was my first time doing such a thing, so I put a lot of effort into it. Her not so much… 😒
In her entire critique, she offered nothing helpful or constructive to improve my storytelling or further myself as a writer.
Or did she? 🤔
On the surface her commentary seemed unhelpful and more than a little offensive. However, after further review, her comments made me realize I was trying to write in the wrong genre (and thus not meeting reader expectations).
So by 2019 I made the switch to my new genre home and began writing Male/Male Romance.
I guess it just goes to show you, sometimes bad reviews are just trolls looking to ruin your day. But sometimes they’re that ah-ha moment you didn’t even know you needed.
Ghost of Creativity Yet to Come
What do you actually want to accomplish this year?
Statistically, you’re more likely to achieve something if the goal isn’t vague. Which is why having a New Year's goal of…
I want to lose weight…
I want to save money…
I want to get published…
Are sorta doomed to fail.
However, if you modify those with more specific parameters you’re much more likely to accomplish them.
I want to lose [20 lbs] before [my wedding in June].
I want to save [enough] money to [take a trip to Disneyland for Halloween].
I want to [pitch my novel to publishers and agents] [this spring].
And remember you don’t have to aim for a goal just because everyone else is. It’s your life and only you can live it.
Well until next time, Reader, this is your friendly neighborhood storytelling Kat wishing you a wonderfully creative week.
Your cohort in storytelling,
Kat Vancil
🐱
PS 👉 Here’s a little writing prompt for you based on today:
What do you see when you’re visited by the Ghost of Creativity Past?
What do you see when you’re visited by the Ghost of Creativity Present?
What do you see when you’re visited by the Ghost of Creativity Yet to Come?
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