A Writer’s Resolutions

This post was written by Olivia, a student in the FLVS Creative Writing Club.

I don’t usually make resolutions. I find that they often get forgotten amongst other priorities and the typical hustle and bustle of everyday life. But this year, I have made a few resolutions that I hope to keep – all involving writing and its influence on my life.

Amidst the typical busy schedule of academics, extracurricular activities, clubs, school events and preparing for college, it can be extremely difficult to dedicate time to creativity. I have found that it often gets left on the back burner: an afterthought among more pressing obligations.

As an involved student, this issue affected my writing process for far too long. I often found myself staying up scribbling ideas in a notebook or waking up early to try to fit writing into my schedule in 2016. In light of the New Year, I am excited to dedicate more time to my creative process as I move into the final stages of editing my novel.

I have thought a lot about the solution to this issue and believe that it might come down to time management. I plan to schedule writing into my day. In my experience, scheduling events in a planner or notebook makes it easier to make them a priority and writing should be one of my chief priorities. I love to write and have found that it aids in my development as both a creative individual and a human being. It is a wonderful imaginative outlet, and far too often, has been sacrificed in favor of other obligations. I think that physically scheduling it in my planner will solidify the importance of writing as a part of my day, almost like attending a class or practice.

I also hope to make writing less of a mundane task. As a writer of over six years, when I get the chance to sit down at my laptop to write, my writing process has become almost routine. In 2017, I hope to make writing more personally exciting by responding to prompts and exercises more often. I believe that this will help in the final development of my characters and writing style. My past experiences with prompts have taught me the importance of continuing to fall in love with writing every day. Prompts help me to write for fun without any pressure, as opposed to writing under a deadline or with an audience in mind. I also think that collaboration is key. I hope to continue attending coffeehouses and writer’s workshops to get honest feedback and collaborate with others who are passionate about writing. I have found that receiving feedback from others helps me to take a step back from a piece that I am deeply invested in, and review what I can do to make it better.

All in all, I hope that 2017 is a year for prioritizing writing. I hope that writing remains an important part of my life and I hope that I make creative progress. Let me know in the comments if you have any writing resolutions for the New Year!

This article was originally published on the FLVS Creative Writing Club blog.