January blog

Resolutions and results

Welcome back and a very Happy New Year to all writers, friends and families.

What do we have to look forward to in 2026?

• In the Chinese calendar, this is the year of the Horse
• The Winter Olympics are in Italy from February 6 – 22
• The Football World Cup is in the United States, Canada and Mexico, from June 11 to July 19
• And the Commonwealth Games are in Glasgow from July 23 to August 2
• The living Nostradamus – Brazilian soothsayer Athos Salomé – is predicting power cuts, especially between March 12 and 15, and wars between the super-powers in the Arctic.

I think that’s enough to be starting the year with!

I am usually very much in favour of setting New Year Resolutions. But I’m doing something a bit different this year – I’m taking it month by month. I’m hoping this won’t put so much pressure on me, but it might well give me a bit more motivation to get smaller things done more immediately.

So, just a few ideas:

• I thought I’d aim to read one book a month from the “One Hundred must-read classics” list chosen by Penguin readers in 2022. Click here for the link.
• I’m not sure yet whether I’ll re-read those I have already, such as Pride and Prejudice and To Kill a Mockingbird. Or just those I haven’t, such as In Cold Blood by Truman Capote and Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, which will undoubtedly keep me going all year!
• I’d like to finish editing my historical novel book in January and then carry on searching for a cover, hoping to self-publish by Easter.
• From February on, I’m aiming to re-plot my sequel to Pathway to the Gods. I thought I had the plot sorted, but two-thirds of the way through, it just didn’t work and I stopped. Time to get going again.
• I’ll carry on with this monthly blog and I’d really like to hear from more of you, with your writing news and ideas.

And a reminder from last month to acknowledge your list of successes in 2025. These can include any sort of results: regular writing, writing flash fiction, short stories, chapters of a novel, entering competitions, planning and plotting a novel, doing research, getting feedback, attending workshops, writing groups and holidays, supporting a writing friend …… I’m sure you can come up with more.

Wishing you a Happy New Year and a productive and enjoyable year of writing.

Linda