1. Fill one notebook a month
2. Submit work to 10 different publications
3. Take one writing day / date a month
4. Read more!
5. Experiment recklessly

First three are doable. Number four is my treadmill routine a few times a week (key: slow pace, big letters). If I can get through the year without smashing my iPad to bits when I reach for a towel, awesome. Number five contains multitudes. I’ve started experimenting with dialogue formats and tags. And I’ve played around with a George Saunders-ish style. Some of my WP is like dress up. I’m trying it on in a draft. I can change back into my tee-shirt and khakis after.

I like to tell this story, because I like me a little more to remember when I first read Kurt Vonnegut. I thought it was the funnest stuff ever and immediately started a story about a man named Milton. I had this whole wild story worked out, with wacky product names and invented countries, all inching toward some remark on society. It was fun! I even made a screen print of Milton. I dropped him a month later, but I still remember how great it was to be taken in by a character I made up. And how great to try on a style that didn’t quite fit but looked neat on the rack.

Because I haven’t got a story burning in me, I think it’s a good time to play. Good six months of writing ahead!