I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions, because I’m more of a “resolutions-all-year” type of neurotic, but I do like to look back, reflect. End of year reflections have a kind of sweet spot, too; hindsight is more convenient for analyzing the past year than trying to predict your gumption for the next year.
While it’s a lot easier to analyze concrete things, like savings goals and lifestyle habits, than it is creative work, applying a concrete tool to a more ethereal process can be quite powerful, too.
So how do you reflect on a year of writing? You might be tempted to quantify things in page- or word counts, publications or dollars earned or other mile markers of “success” but I’d like to suggest some alternatives. Either jot down an answer, or simply give yourself a “check mark” for times you did any of the following in 2024:
Shut up your inner critic and felt good about your writing
Felt enriched, bolstered or nourished by being in community with other writers in one way or another (a class, a conference, a book club, a silent write together…)
Stretched outside of your writing comfort zone in a healthy way, and reaped interesting results
Took a closer look at something holding you back in your work and made progress
Restarted an old project
Let go of a project that was “dead weight”
Stopped using other people’s/society’s markers of “success” and defined that for yourself
Remembered why you love to/need to/choose to write
Put your writing ahead of something else calling you away from it
Tried something new, even if it came out “messy”
Collaborated with someone else, either within your medium, or intersectionally
Wrote a raw first draft
Enriched yourself through reading, movies, or other art to feed your writer
Faced down a fear about your creative process and survived
Grappled honestly with something new, even if it was hard or didn’t come to the fruition you liked
Genuinely loved something you wrote, even if you didn’t share it with anyone
Identified a clear goal for your writing you’d like to pursue now and into 2025 (If you did this, please share in the comments!)
In my book, A Writer’s Guide to Persistence, I talk about the importance of building a “writing practice,” which means that writing isn’t just something you do only when you come to the page. It’s a whole ecosystem of processes, energy, attention and more that includes all of the above, and a million other things. Long daydreams about characters count. Reading others counts. Taking a little trip to a location that might star in a book counts. Going on No writing is ever wasted, I really believe this. Or:
Nearly a decade ago, in my freelance journalism career, I worked on a story for the Petaluma Magazine interviewing dozens of local visual artists. One woman’s comments have stuck with me across the years: When asked what it took to produce a final painting that satisfied her, her answer was “Miles of canvas.” I could envision those miles, logged at all hours of the day and night; I could picture her body as the engine for her vision, paint splattered across her studio and brow. Often countless “draft” paintings went into the one she finally called complete. It’s much the same for a writer producing drafts of a book or story. Her words encouraged me deeply; they helped me see that everything counts as long as you choose to see it in that light. The value of your writing practice is ultimately up to you. And once you know what that is, no one can take it from you through rejection, criticism, or competition.
I’m not trying to toxic-positivity anyone here. The slog, the doubts, the fears—they’ll always return. Because that’s a guarantee, I encourage you to reflect on your creative life this past year through the lens of gains, of growth, of what has been overcome, so you can bring some of that energy to the stuck places. (And I highly recommend Clarissa Pinkola Estés audiobook The Creative Fire for anyone feeling a little stuck, confused or frustrated by any of your process).
BOOK NEWS + EVENTS
I’ve got a lot of book news I can’t share yet, but I’m so excited that my novel, an eco-thriller called Fallout (Running Wild Press, 2025) is FINALLY available for pre-order, and my humble little spring/summer book tour is slowly coming together. I’ll alert you of more dates as they fall into place.
San Francisco Writers’ Conference, February 7-9.
If this is the year you’re thinking about a writing conference, check this one out, in San Francisco’s Embarcadero, at the Hyatt Regency! Keynote speakers include the award winning Tommy Orange, and Isle McElroy. I’ll be teaching a Master Class on Page Turning Tension, and a solo talk on Subtext, and, as the Fiction Track coordinator, we have an incredible line-up, if I do say so myself! Register here.
BOOK TOUR DATES SO FAR
Saturday, May 31, Book Passage, Corte Madera, CA. 1-2:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 12, 7pm. Annie Bloom’s Books, Portland, OR. In conversation with Michael Keefe, author of All Her Loved Ones, Encoded.
Want To Join An Online Community of Writers?
Would you like to join a community of writers who discuss writing craft and process twice monthly with no commitment? Write Lifers is an ongoing monthly group/class for writers who want to stay connected but don’t have the luxury of time for a weekly class. In 2025 I’m bringing you a lot of excellent guest-teachers, as well!
*We typically meet the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month, at 5pm Pacific Time (8pm ET), but this varies depending on holidays, life events and so on.
Because topics vary from class to class, you can drop in at any time! There is no commitment. Also, if you’d like to drop in on a class in the New Year to see if it’s for you, email me: jordanwritelife@gmail.com.
Cost: You may pay monthly ($80) or annually ($880—which gives you one month free). You will NOT be auto-billed.
Class will begin anew in January, 2025. Register here.
In each regular session we will:
Discuss an essay or questions related to writing process
Engage in a short writing craft lesson
Practice writing prompts
Set goals for accountability
During the month I will also send out readings and other resources
You will also have access to a Google drive where you may exchange work for peer critique
Guest-speaker sessions may vary in content and form
*Please note that sometimes these dates may change, due to holidays or other situations, but you will be apprised in advance.
Exciting news about the book tour and conference! I had a few good check marks in your list, but a lot of blank spaces. I think I’ll try to check off one missing one before the end of the year, as a challenge to myself.