by Jeanne Takenaka, @JeanneTakenaka

Do you ever hit December 31 of a year and wonder how to start the year strong?

There’s something about turning a page into a new year, of waking up on January first, knowing the next 365 days hold great potential. They’re not yet marred by mistakes, writer’s block, distractions, or hardship. 

How do we stay the course on our 2023 writing journey? 

Suggestions to help start the year strong:

Here are some practical ways to begin our year—

Determine to write every day, even if it’s only for a few minutes. Journal. Blog. Add words to a manuscript. 

Make writing a priority. Set an appointment in our calendars and keep it as a time we devote to writing.

Set realistic goals for what we want to accomplish. Before we do this, let’s look at what we know is happening in the year and plan with those in mind. For example, I have a son graduating in May. I know I’m not going to complete much in the way of writing that month. So, if I’m on deadline, I will do as much work as I can before May to alleviate stress. 

Make a plan to meet deadlines. I don’t know about you, but having a deadline I’m working under lights a fire under me and gets my backside in a chair with fingers on the keyboard There’s something so satisfying about beating deadlines.

Read books in and out of our writing genre. Reading lots of well-written books expands our understanding of craft and also inspires us in crafting our own stories.

And, if we’re really brave, mark up certain books with notes about how the author does dialogue, setting, showing emotion and other areas where we may want to strengthen our skills.

Determine to read one-two writing craft books throughout the year. If needed, set aside a minimum of ten minutes a day to read, highlight, and try the suggestions in said book.

Find someone who’s further along this journey than us and ask if they would consider mentoring us.

Find someone who is a little ways behind you on the writing road and offer to encourage/mentor them

God-related ways to start the year strong:

Pray over our stories. Ask God for a Bible verse to see us through each aspect of writing our books.

Each time we sit down to work on our story or writing project, invite God into the session. Ask for His inspiration for the scene or section of the book we want to work on.

Invite others into our journeys by asking them to pray for us.

Be open to the lessons God wants to teach us through the writing process. This isn’t just writing-related. Often, God uses our struggles to teach us more about Himself and ourselves. 

Find a great community where we can both encourage and be encouraged by others. When we have a place to share disappointments and victories, we find support to encourage us to push forward.

We can start the year strong, but we also want to keep moving forward intentionally. So, as we walk through the days on our calendar, let’s be intentional in how we nurture our souls and grow our writing chops. 

What helps you start the year strong on your writing journey?

---

Award-winning, aspiring novelist and blogger Jeanne Takenaka writes contemporary fiction that highlights how faith and grace hold hands in relationships with people and with God. She, her husband, and two boy-men call Colorado home. She loves being a God-seeker, hanging out with friends, and savoring oat milk lattés. When she’s not writing, you can find her, camera in hand, searching for #alittlebitofpretty. She’s a member of ACFW and Novel Academy.