I don’t do resolutions. Wait, I take that back. I don’t “keep” resolutions. They’re all a bunch of the same ol’ same ol’ anyway, so much so they’re virtually cliche now. You know, ones like “I’m going to get healthy and lose 30 pounds!” (Good luck keeping it off because good food is food that must be eaten, not merely drooled over) or “I vow to be a much more considerate individual” (which really means “I will tip any Starbucks employees who offer me a smile with my nonfat soy chai latte”) or “I am going to put away more money in my retirement account” (until the car breaks down, the house is sucked into a sinkhole leading into hell, the hospital stay turns into a week-long break, etc.). None of it sticks with me, and it sort of has something to do with the fact that any sense of commitment doesn’t bode well for a number of us in my family.
Still, there are things I feel I have to do, so I figured if I claimed they were “resolutions” of the New Year’s variety, I could formalize them somewhat on the page.
For 2017, I intend to…
…see the new Blade Runner and Alien movies as soon as they hit the screens, and for god’s sake, don’t compare them to their old source material like other annoying movie fanatics tend to do. (I didn’t do that with Mad Max: Fury Road because I had faith it would be good. And, hey, I was right! It’s good to be right.)
(I know the teaser doesn’t show much of anything, but the Hardware vibe and the music alone made me pee a little. Such excitement. Such thrilling-ness.)
(One word: Fassbender)
…keep encouraging writers I meet to follow whichever publishing avenue they so choose. The back-and-forth arguments between those pro-traditional publishing and those pro-indie publishing have grown stale. Both methods have their advantages and their problem areas. I went traditional due to my own personal reasons and goals, but I’ve done enough research to know that it wouldn’t matter which way I went — trad or self — because I’d still have to do most of my marketing since I’m not a household name (or a name that people cringe when they pronounce like Milo Yiannopolous).
…keep hunting for a better way to grade hundreds of papers quickly and efficiently and still give decent feedback. This quest has been happening for 16 years now, and I fear it’s a lost cause… like the search for the holy grail…the holy grail of grading secrets.
…encourage failure so that my millennial students learn to pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and keep at it rather than cry in my office or (worse) the classroom about it. Last term, I had to comfort only one crier, but spring often brings a lot more, and I can’t take the weeping, not when I have plenty of my own weeping to do as well.
…work with my GP to find out the root cause of whatever it is that’s been waking me up at night, having me feel akin to John Hurt’s character in Alien (yes, I’ve just noticed the unnecessary theme here). It could be hypertension, but I believe there’s something else there, something physical, unrelated to my heart, and it terrifies me. I’m racking up the hospital bills after three ER visits in three years. This past time, mere days ago, I was even admitted for a day to have a stress test, EKG, and heart ultrasound. I now officially know that I definitely don’t have a heart problem.
(I swear, it must be an endoparastic xenomorph there, living inside of me, but no one can find a damned thing.)
…pay most of my bills on time for a change. (That doesn’t include the new hospital bills I have accrued, undoubtedly coming my way very very soon. It was the first time I’ve ever been actually admitted to a hospital before, so I’ve no idea what’s going to happen or how much I’ll be in debt.)
…oh, and finish the goddamn second book. I need a creative writing nag, someone who presses me every week to KEEP AT IT, no matter the workload.
How about you? Yes, you. Do you have any resolutions that are things you have to do, not promises you’ll know you simply won’t keep?
In response to the Daily Prompt Year
There are things I absolute have to do, but I make no promises in doing it…..
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Isn’t it funny how both you and I place emphasis on “have to”? 😉
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Oh boy, weepers, huh? I feel for you. Hey, I could nag you if you want! I’ll call it coaching, though, so I can feel smug. 😜 I got lots planned for this year, will likely accomplish a third of it. One of those things was going to be trying to find an agent. The self pub route is exhausting but doesn’t sound like the alternative is much easier…. Best of luck, MJ!
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Best of luck to you as well, Meg, especially in accomplishing your goals/plans including the agent hunt. I had some author friends tell me the best way to break in to the big five (or is it three now?) is to garner an agent; however, I’ve also been told that doesn’t necessarily fare ideally as the author has to be a number one priority for the agent…and that doesn’t happen all that often. So many mixed bits of advice on offer, so few straightforward solutions for the newcomer author. Sigh.
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All these seem like perfectly good, feasible resolutions! I feel like I’m pointing out the obvious here, but I’d start with the GP – none of it matters if you can’t get a decent night’s sleep (and I realize a visit to the ER during the holidays isn’t ideal, but yay for getting a clean bill of health on your heart!).
As far as grading a mountain of papers and still finding time to work on your book: I find that when I need to multitask (which is pretty much always), planning is key. I try to allot time to each task and do my best to stick to my ‘schedule’. It doesn’t exactly help in easing my anxiety but it’s the push I need to get things done. I work from home so it’s very easy to get distracted and completely derailed but a bit of self-imposed discipline can work wonders!
As for me, I don’t really do resolutions either because I hardly ever keep them, so I just set minor goals instead, even on a weekly basis, and go from there. Baby steps.
I hope 2017 brings you everything you desire – health, love, happiness, success and fewer weepers (is that really a thing? If I’d gone to see my professors in tears I’d probably get laughed right out of their office!)
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Hey, you! Yep, yep and yep. Planning and a good dose of self-discipline is definitely key when multitasking. I usually create lists per week and have my class calendars on hand to assist me with that. It’s when the heavy grading comes in where I tend to lose it because I spend more time commenting on their work than I do anything else. It’s grown much worse now because there’s no tracking system anymore to filter students who seriously need a prep writing course versus those who don’t. (Fuck the local politics.)
Weepers are a thing. Trust me. Ask anyone who teaches at a four year public college in the U.S. I blame the whole ‘trophies (or A’s)-for-everyone’ and helicopter parenting trends.
Minor goals, baby steps = good idea.
I hope 2017 brings you all the Good Things, too, and then some, my friend!
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I wouldn’t really know about grading papers, but when I have something really time intensive, I try to calculate how much time each thing will take me on average and then how many I should ideally complete in an hour to try and force myself to be efficient… it’s easy to lose track of time when reading/writing/editing so I imagine it’s the same with paper grading, so I find working on time constraints more effective. (In case it’s not painfully obvious by now, I’m a total control freak!)
I’ll take your word for the weepers… Ugh,I’d find it really hard to fight the urge to smack them upside the head. I’d be a horrible teacher
*mwah*
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What did you publish? Also, has your gp mentioned migraines? I have ocular/silent migraines so I don’t get actual pain but they caused a whole host of weird symptoms. I got on a blood pressure med to treat them (even though my blood pressure is fine) and it has helped a tremendous amount. -kat
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I’ve a book coming out this year with Ghostwoods Books. Not sure of the date yet, which probably has something to do with an antho. they’re working on right now.
I’ve an appointment with my GP next week, and I’ll be sure to mention the migraine thing. Ocular migraines could actually be a potential cause of the crap I go through every so often at night. Right now, I’m on an acute beta blocker that’s certainly helped with the palpitations and BP. The burning sensation and panicky feeling though is still there. Oh, and heartburn. I’ve NEVER had heartburn until recently. Anyway, thanks for the heads up about the migraine thing — Again, I’ll be sure to mention it.
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Welcome back, btw. You got a nod from me here at https://thisonpurpose.wordpress.com/2016/07/30/a-few-pop-culture-blogs-worth-a-looksie/
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!! Thanks so much for thinking of us. We are flattered.
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You’re welcome! 🙂 (Awesome blog.)
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Uh, there’s a remake of Alien coming out? Starring Michael FASSBENDER?? Okay, I think now I’ma just borrow one of your resolutions and call it a day…
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Not a remake. A sequel, of sorts, to Prometheus…that’s not like Prometheus it seems. And, yes, Fassbender. Oh, and did I mention Fassbender?
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You did, as it turns out. You did mention Fassbender. There may have been some other words in there too?? Dunno. Don’t care. FASSBENDER.
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Loved to hear the resolutions of a writer…. I meekly desire to wear that title. I have yet to publish my first book, but….. I am the humble leader of a new writing community. If you are into small flash for leisure… check us out. The first link is my personal blog https://rogershipp.wordpress.com/ … The second is to our writing community. https://flashfictionforthepracticalpractitioner.wordpress.com/ Would love the comments of someone who is doing the things I am attempting … but is ahead of me. I am a middle school language arts teacher trying to find time for my passion as a teacher to stay lit, learn about being a writer with time constraints, and keep two or three other hobbies in my life.
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“On Purpose” Loved the title. That is a skill I am trying to model for my students!!!
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These sound like good, sensible resolutions. I sincerely hope you manage them, especially when it comes to figuring out what is waking you up in such a fashion 😦
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Thanks much. I do as well. The nighttime problem is growing, quite literally, tiresome.
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