A Writer's Word For 2025

 There seems to be a new trend lately. You're to pick your 'word for the year' and keep it in mind as you navigate through the end of January and the next eleven months. Maybe a word is easier than making a list of resolutions that seem to take wing and fly off into the stratosphere. 

With that in mind, the word I'm proposing for writers to claim as their own in 2025 is ACTIVE. It's a word that can cover a good many bases in the writing world. Let's look at a few.

A. Write something every day. It doesn't matter if it is 25 words or 2500. Just write!

B. Get your writing files in order this month. 

C. Go through your files to see what pieces you might work on and submit for publication.

D. Give yourself regular pep talks. Do all you can to boost your confidence in your writing ability. 

E. Be ACTIVE in the writing groups you belong to. (If you don't belong to any, find one!)

F. Spend time with other writers. Nobody will understand you better than another writer.

G. Make a list of writing projects you would like to pursue during this year.

H. Spend time on a regular basis researching possible markets that fit your writing.

I'm sure there are other things you can do to be active in your writing life, but the ones in my list will be a good start. The important thing is to remember to be ACTIVE on a regular basis, not just now and then. 

Today's poster let us know that we shouldn't sit back and do nothing. We need to be ACTIVE to make progress in our writing world.

I am using ACTIVE as my word for 2025. Won't you join me and adopt ACTIVE as your word for this new year?

Writers Helping Writers

Today's poster is meant to bring a smile. Something that brings a smile to people is when we help one another. I've seen a lot of that during the week since our Kansas blizzard. Post after post on Facebook featuring people who need help and others who are offering to help those in need. Getting stuck in fifteen inches of snow is no picnic, and definitely a time when help from others is needed and ever so appreciated.

Seeing those posts made me think about how writers can help other writers. There are a number of ways we can do that. A list follows:

A. Blog about writing that gives tips and encouragement to writers. (That's the theme of this blog in case you had never noticed)

B.  When you're at a writing workshop, look for those people who seem to be alone. Start a conversation or draw them into a group conversation. 

C.  Offer your services to your local or state writing organization. Be an officer, give a program, offer to give a workshop at a conference, greet new members. Be a joiner, not a lurker. Those who join and do things in a group usually benefit the most.

D.  Write articles about writing that might be of interest or help to other writers.

E.  Join a writing critique group where you both give and receive critiques on your writing. There are great benefits in doing this. Writers helping writers.

F.  Befriend a new writer. A chat over coffee or lunch can be so helpful to those beginning writers who still have many questions. 

G.  If you're an experienced writer, write a book about the craft. You can help new writers this way and add another publication to your name, as well.

There are other ways to help your fellow writers. You'll see them when the opportunity arises. There are writers who don't want to get involved with other writers, so they pass up those chances to help others. That's their choice, but I've always found that by helping others, I also reap some benefits. 

Consider how much help you might have needed as a new writer. When I first began writing, I knew I needed all the help I could find. It's why I joined a local writers' group where I was living at the time. It was a group of around eight people. I learned so much from them, and as time went on, I was able to help some of the newer members by answering their questions and giving encouragement when the opportunity arose. When we moved to another community, one of the first things I did was to look for a local writing group. 

Writers helping writers! It can bring a smile to your face.

 

Write About the Weather

 We all talk about the weather. It affects a great many things in our lives. Brides live in fear of a rainy day when they are going to be married. Graduates hope for a sunny, not too windy day for outdoor graduations. Parents traveling two hours to an airport to pick up married children dread having to travel on snow-packed or icy roads. Campers want warm, dry weather. There are so very many ways weather plays a part in our lives. 

It's a perfect topic for writers to pursue. Think of the sensory details a writer might use--the sound of rain on a tin roof, seeing and hearing lightning and thunder, touching the cold snow, the way grass tickles your bare feet, the smell of coffee, the odor of a skunk who has released his nastiness nearby, petting a cat, and so many more, 

Sensory details bring a reader into a scene, and the ones used when writing about weather can be especially interesting. 

Writing about weather offers the writer an opportunity to practice descriptive phrases. As an exercise today, write descriptive phrases for the following weather topics: 

A. Blizzard

B.  Thunderstorm

C.  Blistering hot day

D.  Flood

E.  Ice storm

Writing about weather allows the writer to dive into the sea of adjectives to write memorable descriptions. Remember to use one or two at the most. More adjectives than that makes for overkill and detracts from what you're describing. 

What type of writing can you do with weather as your topic? A fiction story. A personal essay describing a weather event you experienced. An article explaining some weather event. A children's story that revolves around weather. A poem. 

You can see that weather plays a part in our writing and offers us many opportunities. 

January Cleaning Time for Writers

 

Today's post is a repeat from a few years ago and meant to remind you about cleaning up your writing world--the area where you write, your files, and more. 

Someone has to say it so I might as well be the one to tell you that it's time for the annual cleaning of your writing world. If you're like me, the area next to your computer tends to get a bit cluttered. Maybe more than a bit. It doesn't take too much time to sift through and see what can be discarded and what must be kept. I also have a small three-tiered shelf unit next to my computer desk. Things tend to pile up there. January is a good time to sort through the accumulated items and either toss or file in the proper place. 

What about your computer files related to your writing? I'm talking about your submission records, the unfinished writing projects, the first drafts that have been left to simmer. Anything related to your writing life. Even your email address book deserves a cleaning. I noticed the other day that mine had names I never use anymore. Time to delete them! 

What about your documents file? Do you have outdated pieces resting there, gathering dust? I noticed that there are many photos in my Documents file that are repeats of ones in my picture file. I don't need them in two places. Delete them in one place or the other. For me, the photos belong in the picture file, not my Documents. 

I try to make hard copies of everything I write, even though saved on my computer. January is a good time to skim through and find any that I have missed this year, then print and place in my large binder. It never hurts to have computer files and hard copies, as well. 

This month is also the time to total your earnings related to your writing life. Make sure you have some written proof such as the bottom section of the checks editors send. Tax time is upon us. Whether you are a part-time writer or write for a living, records to complete your tax returns are absolutely necessary. If you're not sure how much you need to earn before it's necessary to report your earnings, check with a reliable source. 

This time of year, I like to go through my files and see what stories, poems, essays etc are ones that still need more revision and editing before I can submit them somewhere. Gather them in one folder and attack one at a time.

I can promise you one thing. Once you have done your January cleaning, you'll feel good. You'll know you are ready to move on in your writing world during this new year.

Does anyone have other suggestions for January cleaning related to writing?

365 Blank Pages for Writers

We're almost at the end of the year 2024. My last post asked you to answer some questions about what you have done in your writing world this year. Today, lets' look forward and consider what you hope to accomplish in 2025 as a writer. 

I like to turn the page on my calendar to a new month. It feels like a fresh beginning, and opening a brand-new calendar is even better. There are twelve months, 365 days waiting for me to accomplish something as a writer, as well as appointments and social engagements that I mark on each month's calendar page.

What I hope to do this year: 

A.  Continue to write my blog posts two to three times a week. 

B.  I'll seek out new places to submit my unpublished work. 

C.  Revise my middle grade novel one more time.

D.  Propose a possible book about writing to a publisher I know

E.  Spend some time writing every day

F.  Act on ideas that swirl in my head, instead of merely thinking about them

G.  Write more poetry

H.  Continue subbing and critting at my online writing group

That's quite a list, isn't it? Try making up a similar list for yourself. Consider what you didn't get done in 2024 and make that part of your goals for this new year. 

My list consisted of eight things I hope to do in this new year. Maybe it's too long, or perhaps too short. I'll be a happy writer if I accomplish all of my goals. Writing goals is the easy part, achieving them can be a bumpy road. It all depends on how serious you are about working toward each one. As always, it's up to you to work on your goals. No one else is going to do it for you.

Writing is a solitary game most of the time. There are also moments when we interact with other writers, attend workshops and conferences, and even ask another writer to critique our work. Maybe this is the year you join your state writers association, or a local one. 

When you open your new calendar, think about the 365 blank pages that are all yours. It's up to you as a writer to fill them in the best way you can. 
 

Writers and Change

The last Christmas story has been left up longer than I expected due to unforeseen circumstances. Nevertheless, it has received a huge number of readers, and for that, I am grateful. 

Christmas is behind us, and the New Year is creeping up. People make resolutions that they break in mere weeks. Writers set goals that end up forgotten, just like those resolutions. It's the human in us that makes it happen all too often.

For writers, I think the end of the year is a good time to make an assessment of your writing world. Ask yourself questions like these:

A. How often did I submit my work for publication?

B.  Did I set aside writing time on a regular basis?

C.  Did I act on the story ideas that swirled in my mind?

D.  Did I have any of my work published in 2024?

E.  Did I attend any writing workshops this year?

F.  How many books on writing did I read this year?

G.  How many first drafts are still in my files?

H.  Am I still passionate about writing?

I.  Am I discouraged about my writing world?

J.  Did I make any money from my writing this year? If so, how much?

In other words, take a good look at your writing life over this past year of 2024. Do this before you make some goals for 2025. Consider the things you did right, and also those that you might improve on this next year. Be honest in your assessment. Nobody knows the answers but you, so tell it like it is.

If there are some things that you can change, make it a point to work towards doing so. As the poster tells us, it can be the small things you decide on or change that can have great bearing on your writing world. 

 

Christmas Spirit--Lost and Found

 

Hospital Hallway

There are humorous Christmas memories, happy ones, and some that are sad. Today's story is a sad one, so be forewarned. It's about the first child we had back in 1966, and how I lost my Christmas spirit but then found it. We only had our baby girl for 7 weeks, but she did have a Christmas. And, so did I. When you write Christmas memories, write about the sad times as well as the great ones. It's a part of who you are.

Christmas Spirit—Lost and Found

The first Christmas commercial flicked across the TV screen in early December. My eyes were closed, head resting on the back of my chair, a cup of tea balanced on my lap, but I heard the tinkling of sleigh bells, the sound of carolers and laughter. I stayed still, wishing the joyful sounds away. I didn’t want to feel Christmas this year. 

I didn’t spend my days Christmas shopping or decorating the house or baking cookies. Instead, I read books about babies born with spina bifida, asked questions of doctors about hydrocephalus, and made phone calls to a hospital an hour away from our home to ask about the condition of our only child, born in November.

It was 1966, and we didn’t have the option of staying with Julie at the large children’s hospital over an hour away from our home. When she was a few days old, we drove on icy roads to admit her after our pediatrician had made the arrangements. A paperwork snafu gave us four precious hours with her in the crowded waiting room before the clerk told us to go to fourth floor west where a nurse waited for us. 

Ken and I rode the elevator to the fourth floor and walked down a long corridor breathing in the hospital antiseptic odor. A white-uniformed woman walked toward us. She put her arms out to take our baby girl. As I placed Julie in this stranger’s arms, I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. I wanted to crumple in a heap. Instead, I looked into the nurse’s eyes, and we smiled at one another, woman to woman. 

She held Julie in the crook of one arm and smoothed the pink blanket with her free hand. “We’ll take good care of her.” She turned and proceeded down the long, empty hallway before I could make any farewell gesture to our sweet baby girl, before I could hold her close and inhale that special baby smell.

Ken and I walked down the hall, hand in hand, too choked up to say a word.

We returned a few days later to find that we could only view our daughter through a nursery window. She lay on her tummy so there’d be no pressure on the bulging tumor in the open area of her spine. She would soon have surgery to close the opening. Later, a shunt would be placed at the base of her brain to drain fluid. Farther down the road would be more surgery to straighten her legs in hopes that she might one day learn to walk on crutches, not a certainty, only a hope. 

I asked a nurse about the big wooden rocking chair that I noticed sitting in the nursery.

“Oh that’s for our hospital volunteers who come in to rock the babies. It’s nice to have a personal touch.”

Why couldn’t it be me who rocked her? Why not a mother’s touch? But hospital rules in those days were stringent, and parents were discouraged from asking favors. The rocking chair appeared to be the one thing that didn’t scream institution. Bare walls, bare hallways, no color except in the waiting rooms. But that would soon change.

 I still didn’t care about Christmas, but the hospital volunteers must have signed on as Santa’s helpers. The next time we visited, the halls glowed with Christmas banners and ribbons and small, decorated trees sat on tables in the waiting areas. The babies had dolls or toys tied to their cribs, a gift from the hospital auxiliary. The nurses wore Christmas pins on their uniforms, the green and red colors standing out on the snowy fabric. I chose to ignore these obvious signs of holiday spirit. When Christmas drew too close, I pushed it away. 

As we waited with other parents to talk to our child’s doctor, I wondered if these mothers were skipping Christmas this year, too. I’d probably go out soon and buy the necessary gifts for our parents and siblings, but it would be an obligation, not a joy as in past years. 

On Christmas Day, we stopped by the hospital before going to my parents’ home. By this time, Julie had been there for nearly four weeks and come through two surgeries. When the elevator doors opened onto fourth floor that Christmas morning, holiday music played softly over unseen speakers. The melodic carols fairly floated down the long corridor. The banners and ribbons on the walls seemed brighter than they had on our other visits. A nurse passed by us with a “Merry Christmas” greeting, which I didn’t return. 

Julie was awake when we arrived at the nursery window. Still lying on her tummy, she raised her head and looked right at us with her big blue eyes.  I had a sudden vision of Mary and Baby Jesus looking at one another just like Julie and I were doing. The message was there for me. I needed Mary’s faith, needed to stop the sorrow and self-pity, needed to dwell on the positive strides Julie was making. 

Ken put his arm around me while we watched our little girl on her first Christmas morning. The music surrounded us, and I felt the ice around my heart crack and break into tiny bits as I let the spirit of Christmas warm me. I’d pushed it away with every bit of force I could muster, but today thoughts of Mary and her precious son took over. After all, wasn’t this what Christmas was all about? The birth of a child the world had waited for? Wouldn’t we want to teach the treasured story to our child one day, too?

 Shame for the way I’d tried to shut Christmas out of my life brought a single tear trickling down my cheek. I should have embraced this special holiday from the day I’d heard that first TV commercial. I needed the spirit of Christmas more this year than any other. 

We blew a kiss to our little girl and walked hand in hand to the elevator. I’d finally opened my heart to what Christmas had to offer when I found the spirit in the face of our baby girl. The carols sounded sweeter, the nurses cheerier, and the decorations more elegant. It would be a Christmas etched on my heart forever, the one when God and his holy angels spoke softly to me.

(c) Placed in a contest and was published in The War Cry, a Salvation Army magazine.