A new year begins with hope. Some of us make plans – to enjoy life more, to get fit, to help others or try new things. They all sound wonderful to me. Except, they are too general. So before I set out to write my own list of dreams and hopes (I won’t call them resolutions), I decided to get specific.
I’m in two minds about to-do lists. I like writing down the things I should do, while at the same time dread having to look at them over and over again, a reminder of what still needs to be done. The glass is half empty, I know. But it’s also half full, isn’t it? Well, as I was toasting to the new year and thinking about beginnings, I decided a list is necessary, a tabula rasa, wiped clean of last year’s wishes and dreams (which I can’t really remember since I didn’t write them down), ready to receive this year’s, something I can look back to a year from now and say yes, I’ve done that, and that one, too. And so on to the last one. I wish!
1. Write more. More blog posts, not necessarily more book reviews. I think I’ve done pretty well in that department; definitely more stories (6 is a good number), and finish my second NaNo novel which is about ¾ done at this point.
2. Submit at least two short stories and a novel for publication. I need to re-read my novel again and see what needs to be changed before I send it out there.
3. Have guest posts on my blog. I’d like to host one blogger/writer each month. Still working on the details.
4. Make a scrapbook/diary from beginning to end. That means buying the paper, cardboard, glue and all the rest and actually making the thing from cover down to the last decorative detail. I’ve made a small notebook as a gift for a friend, and I was quite happy with the result, but what I have in mind will be a bit more challenging.
5. Read Bukowski, an author I’ve wanted to read for a long time.
6. Read “The Pale King” by David Foster Wallace, because it looks like the kind of book I would never pick on my own (I didn’t, a friend raved about it so I bought it thinking I do need to challenge myself, because if it were up to me I’d probably never step out of the horror-fantasy-fairytale “kingdom”).
7. Travel to a country or at least a place I’ve never been before.
8. Read poetry.
9. Move more – walking, yoga, jogging, at least 3 times/week. I’m actually anxious to get back to it since a jogging-related injury has forced me to take a break for the past couple of weeks.
10. Dust off my camera and take photos. This will go very well with my scrapbook idea.
11. Learn how to drive. Last year I learned how to ride a bicycle; better late than never, right? It was neither easy nor terribly difficult but I had to fight my biggest enemy, fear, and that kerb I steered too close to a couple of times.
Do you have any plans for this year? Maybe something you’ve never tried before or something that didn’t get done last year? I’d love to hear what challenges you’ve set yourself for 2015.
This is indeed a worthy list Delia.
I myself wish to read more this year.
Good luck on all your aspirations! You can very much achieve them.
Thanks for the vote of confidence, Brian.
Good luck with your wish as well! How many books did you read this year?
What wonderful goals! It is indeed never too late to learn. Very cool that you learned to ride a bike and that you are wanting to learn to drive. If I might offer an insight: teaching my daughter to drive was a nightmare, in large part because none of us were able to be rational. We hired a local instructor to do a couple hours of lessons, for a very reasonable price, and she learned more in that time than she did with us stressing out in the vehicle with her. I say all that to say: find someone calm who can remain detached and education focused to help you learn. It is much more relaxing and you can associate the learning process with good things and not fighting, lol!
I wish you all the best with all your goals, but especially your writing ones.
I’m definitely wanting to move more, on top of doing the regular exercise habits I’ve worked on the last few years. I also want to use my standing desk more regularly at work. I think it helps a great deal both with burning a few calories but also keeping me from being sore, etc.
Hi Carl,
It will be an interesting experience, learning how to drive, and I’m actually looking forward to it. Better brush up on my Thai, ’cause that’s probably the language we’ll be using. Thanks for the good advice, I’ll keep that in mind.
A standing desk sounds like a good option, it’s great you have one. Good luck with your plans as well.
You know, we have quite a lot of goals in common. 🙂
I wish you good luck with all of them.
Don’t tell me you want to learn how to drive as well! 🙂
Thanks for the good wishes and good luck to you, too!
I love your goals! You are so right, your goals need to be specific. I FINALLY learned to drive last year. If I can do it, you can too. That feeling of freedom you get when you have your license is amazing!! Go for it. Good luck!
Hi Vasilly,
So there’s hope for me yet. 🙂 I can’t wait to experience the same feeling.
Thanks for the kind words.
Wonderful plans and dreams, Delia! So wonderful to know that you learned to ride a bike last year! Congratulations! The first time when you ride a bike on your own and when the bike listens to you is one of the great feelings one can experience! I hope you enjoy the David Foster Wallace book. I have read an essay or two by him, but have never read a book. I have read though that he is highly rated and admired a lot in literary circles. I read an essay in which Zadie Smith raved about his prose style.
All the best with your plans and dreams! Hope you are able to realize all of them!
I myself – I used to make plans. Now I make only reading plans 🙂
Hi Vishy,
It was indeed, quite the experience, learning to ride a bike. The hardest part was to let go of my fear of falling. That, and keeping my balance. I was zigzagging all over the street.
If you have The Pale King perhaps we could do another read-along this year. Reading weird, difficult or controversial books is always better with friends. 🙂
Good luck with your reading plans!
I wasn’t much in favor of specific plans but this year I decided this needs to change. Hey, it’s only January. 😉
I can imagine how it must have felt to ride a bike for the first time. The balancing part is quite tricky the first time, but so glad that you were able to get through that and enjoy it.
I will look for ‘The Pale King’ here and let you know. It will be nice to do another readalong with you. I agree with you – it is nice to read complex works with friends 🙂
Well, let me say this, Vishy, it was tricky the first time and the time after that. Now that I think of it, the time after that as well. 🙂 I wish I had learned how to do this as a child but I can’t turn back time now, can I?
I hope you get a copy of The Pale King so we can do another read-along. No hurry, though. 🙂
Delia,
I love your list! The specifics are great. It’s especially exciting that you will be sending a novel out into the world. Best wishes in that regard!
As for myself, I want to review more books (I read a ton but only review one in ten), do more guest posts (by the way, what sort of guest posts are you seeking?), manage more behind-the-scenes tech support for my published novel, and make serious headway on the revision of my current novel. There. I said it. It’s in print…no going back.
Hi Deb,
Thanks for the good wishes. I’m very excited about my novel, we’ll see how that goes. I know I’ll probably have to be very patient.
That’s the reason I wrote it all down here, it’s in print, too late to back out now.
For the guest posts I have an idea of what I want – I’ll send you an email with the details.
Good luck with all your plans!
I love this list, Delia. Especially the idea of making a notebook! From the very specific DFW books to read to reading Bukowski, and more poetry are great reading goals, wish you luck with them. I have read a few Bukowski novels and still prefer his poems. I am far too busy this year to tackle The Pale King but I have been considering reading DFW’s books of essays lately, I have a friend who is kind of a fan. I’m so looking forward to your reviews and fiction this year. 🙂
I love it too, Priya, and I’m looking forward to crossing things out one by one.
Bukowski has been on my mind for a while, but this year I’d like to finally read one of his novels. Poems too, now that you mention them – they would go nicely towards my “poetry” goal.
I hope you enjoy DFW’s essays, I’ll keep an eye out on your blog for them.
Have a great reading year in 2015!
I like the idea of an adult learning how to ride a bike. I remember learning how to ride as a kid and being so embarrassed that someone might see me fall off. I made my dad drive us out to an abandoned parking lot so I could practice in private. I remember the whole thing being quite traumatic.
If there was a fight between my two least favorite authors, it would probably be Charles Bukowski vs. David Foster Wallace. I know I’m supposed to like them, but I can’t stand either of them. I hope you get more out of them than I did. Of course, I should mention I didn’t give either of them much of a chance.
Chuck Palahniuk…I forgot about Chuck Palahniuk. He’s the one I really dislike the most.
Hi M,
I thought learning as a kid would be easy but in the end it depends on the individual I guess. Traumatic, that’s a good word, it describes perfectly what I was feeling. Even now I’m not comfortable on a bike unless I’m in the middle of nowhere and there are no cars around. It was really stressful trying to keep a straight line and not get in the way of cars.
I just remembered one of those scenes Beavis and Butthead used to do on MTV (at least I think it was MTV) with mock celebrity fights. I can only imagine Bukowski vs Wallace. Now that’s a thought!
At least you know you’ve tried their work and didn’t like it. I’ve always wondered about them so I thought it might be a good time to find out how I feel about their books. Your comment only made me even more curious.
Oh, and Palahniuk is on my list as well, but not really a priority. I’d like to give Checkhov a try too…I’ve heard his short stories are very good.
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