Esther Chilton

Don’t Aim Too High

It’s the beginning of January and a time for New Year resolutions. How many times, as a writer, have you thought along the following lines, This is it – this is going to be the year I write my best-selling novel, win the Bridport Prize, have critics clamoring about my collection of poems and so on, only to have achieved none of them by the beginning of the following year?

This year may well be the year you do write that best-selling novel or win a big short story competition but don’t make your New Year resolution unachievable. It’s far better to set the bar lower and to have goals you can reach e.g. to:

•  send out a piece of writing every week
•  enter a short story/poetry/article writing competition every month
•  write something every day
•  try a new genre of writing  

These are just a few ideas but see how they are all resolutions you can stick to and think about how satisfied you’ll feel when you achieve them. A competition win or an offer of publication is then the icing on the cake but not the be all and end all.

Here’s my ‘Friday Feeling Photo’ for you. Have a great weekend: