by Sophie Perinot
Writers, like non-writers, often mark the New Year by
committing themselves to a collection of resolutions, usually in the form of an
earnestly drawn-up laundry list of thing we want to accomplish to forward our
work in progress and our careers. For
example, “write 2,000 words a day” is, I would posit, the writer’s equivalent
of the average person’s “lose ten pounds.”
I am skeptical of the power New Year’s resolutions. I think they have, for the most part,
forgotten where they came from, and so have we.
They have become nothing more than vague promises we make ourselves at a
particularly optimistic moment (when the world is new again and everything
seems possible). And if we don’t keep
them later. . . well. . .
Yep. Pretty darn useless.
This year I suggest that we—wordsmiths by trade—cast our
minds back to the root of the term resolution—the word “resolve.” Resolve is powerful indeed. True resolve impresses and gets things
done. Take a look at this definition (from
Merriam-Webster):
Resolve (noun): 1) fixity of purpose: resoluteness.
Pow! That’s an old-fashioned, commanding concept. I sit up straighter just reading the
definition, don’t you?
So, instead of picking half-dozen specific writing
resolutions in these first days of 2013, jotting them down and promptly
forgetting where I’ve stuck them, I am going to rediscover my fixity of purpose
(I know I set it down somewhere—maybe behind the pile of research books). When I locate it, I am going to wield it like
a sword and treat my work with the urgency and determination that true
resoluteness demands. If (or rather when
because set backs are inevitable) I fail to meet the weekly goals for my latest
manuscript I am going to recognize my justifications of this failure for what
they are—excuses. Pitiful excuses. I am going to remind myself that this is a
job. A real work ethic and not just good
intentions are needed to get it done.
That’s how I am starting 2013—as a taskmaster who knows true
resolve generally involves perseverance, suffering and even self-castigation,
NOT as a starry-eyed, optimist who believes that wishing something done will
make it so. How about you?
Sophie Perinot's debut novel, THE SISTER QUEENS (which tells the story of two 13th century sisters who became the queens of England and France) released in 2013. She is currently working on her Sophomore novel, a task that requires considerable resolve. You can find Sophie at home here, or on Facebook at her author page or the page for her novel. She is also active on twitter.
