I was thinking about not posting anything for New Year’s but I have been spending a lot of time over the last couple of days thinking about resolutions.

Last year I didn’t really make any resolutions because I felt like I’d made all the changes I wanted to make in November. I feel a little bit like I’ve done that again this year, so I have decided that I will write a list of 2013 goals that I hope to stick to instead and can add to at any time:

1. Finish the first read over and edits for draft 1 of my NaNoWriMo novel by 18 January.
2. Write one page synopsis of novel by 18 January. *
3. Take the Intro to Acting course at National Theatre.
4. Ride my bike to work (except when it’s raining or forecast to be over 35 degrees).
5. Write a novella length piece for young adults.
6. Win NaNoWriMo again.
7. Keep writing!
8. Take trips to interesting places in Victoria for photo opportunities and adventures.
9. Continue to attend writing groups, philosophical discussion groups, and look for others.
10. Make more time to read (the pile of books in my bedroom on my ‘To Read’ list is growing).
11. Plan my next big holiday.
12. Make new friends and spend time with old ones.

I have tried to make these realistic and achievable goals that will still be able to challenge me. I hope that I will come up with more goals to add to the list over the coming year.

To encourage myself I will start with some affirmations:

• I start the New Year with the right attitude.
• I embrace the fact that my path will be difficult sometimes on the way to growth.
• I spend time on myself working through the things which are holding me back and causing me unhappiness.
• I accept setbacks and changing priorities with ease (there are no excuses to give up).
• I have valuable things to say/write and other people want to hear/read them.

Thank you to everyone in my life for the last year, I have made some big changes and I appreciate you all sticking with me and learning to love the new me. I know that the path ahead has some darkness on it, and I accept that I have to get through the night to reach the dawn. I think this year has some amazing things in store for me over the horizon and I’m going to grab them with both hands.

Happy New Year everyone, welcome to 2013!

*I am attending a Penguin Books workshop on popular writing on 19 January and will be meeting with them to discuss my work, so having both of these done is a must.