The other day I looked at how I did with my 2017 bookish resolutions,.Today, let’s look at bookish resolutions for 2018.

Reading Resolutions

1. Finish more book series that I’ve already started: I KNOW, I always have this one on the list. I’ve got a couple of series that I definitely want to get through, or make progress on. I will couch this by saying that there are also some series I’m meh about that I don’t have to return to, so no guilt there.
2. Read more diversely: another resolution from last year that I’d like to continue. Making conscious choices to fill my reading list with writers of different backgrounds was really valuable for me as a reader, and I hope to do even more of this in 2018.
3. Set aside more time to read before bed: it’s way too easy to futz on my computer or phone and not have enough time to read in bed, which is the coziest. I need to start getting ready for bed earlier and make sure I have that good reading time.
4. Read more nonfiction: I started this in 2017 by accident, and have enjoyed listening to nonfiction audiobooks more than I anticipated. I’d like to make this a specific goal in 2018, especially if it combines with “read more diversely.”
5. Read more fiction for adults: outside of nonfiction 95% of my reading is YA/MG. I’d like to get a few more titles for grown-ups in there, because it’s probably good to know what the grown-ups are reading, too.

Writing Resolutions

1. Revise my current WIP: I’m starting on some more revisions for a WIP I’ve been working on for a while and really like. I’m hoping to get it in a really good place for early 2018.
2. Start a new WIP: it’s been a weird time for me writing-wise, and I’m not sure what I want to work on next. I want to get in a place where I’m confident and excited about a new project, and can throw myself into it.
3. Find the fun: again, it’s been a weird time. I want to find the joy in writing and to remind myself that I like spending time with my characters.
4. Get off social media more: as much as I love the internets and honestly do love the bookish people I’ve met through Twitter, I need to take more of a step back from social media. It’s not good for my writerly soul at this point. (Outside of that–I do want to blog more. I feel like 2017 left me thinking “how can I blog about books when the world is so messed up?” But the awfulness of the state of the world doesn’t mean we can’t also enjoy the things we love.)
5. Separate writing from publishing: the real big one for me this year. when I first started this list, I thought of resolutions like “get an agent” or “get a book deal” before I realized that those were not writing goals, those were publishing goals. And ultimately, those are out of my control. I need to remember that the writing is not the publishing. The only thing I have control over is the writing, and that’s the thing I like. Who knows how the rest of this is going to go, but at least I can keep writing.

Sending you all good reading and writing vibes for 2018, too. Let’s make this a year of strength and creativity and care.